Mrs McPhiney
by jwhaler82
Summary: Ella and Areida befriend an old witch who rewards some people for their kindness, but punishes others for their rudeness.
1. Meeting Mrs McPhiney

As they came to the edge of the woods, Aggie stopped the cart

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Author's notes: I didn't actually make up this story. I first heard this story in 3rd grade, and after I saw Ella Enchanted, I thought the two would sound good together. It's about as close the the original story as I remember, but I can't say everything now, that would spoil the story. Basically, in this story, Ella and Areida befriend an old witch who, after getting to know them, rewards them for their kindness. Later, she meets Hattie and Olive, and, after getting to know them, punishes them for their rudeness. Also, on a side note, Areida knows about Ella's curse. Enjoy.

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It was a warm and sunny summer day, a perfect day for a walk through the woods, and right now, two girls were doing just that.

Ella of Frell and her best friend, Areida of Ayorthia, were on a hike through the woods. It was one of their favorite hobbies, but they usually only did it when at least one of them had had a bad day. And today, Ella's "evil stepsister" Hattie, had gotten on Ella's last nerve. She really need a walk through the woods, and after a few hours of hiking, Ella finally seemed to have calmed down. But just as she had calmed down, she suddenly noticed that something wasn't right.

"Hey," said Ella, "Does that rock look familiar to you?"

Areida checked the map.  
Ella started to panic. "I think we're lost. How could we have gotten lost?"

"Well," replied Areida, "we could've missed a trail when you were going on about Hattie using your flower bed as a compost heap. You were pretty upset about it."

As the girls stared at the map, wondering which way they should go, they heard a scream.

"Help me!"

"Did you hear that?" said Ella.

"Somebody help me!"

"It's coming from over there," said Areida, "C'mon, follow me."

_PING!_

Ella followed Areida off the trail and through the woods. They followed the shouts to a large hole in the ground. Ten feet down, at the bottom of the pit, lay a little old woman. She looked up at the girls.

"Help me, please," she moaned.

"Just sit tight, ma'am," said Areida, "We'll get you out." She turned back to Ella.

"Here's what we should do. You climb down into the pit, and I'll pull the two of you out."

"No," said Ella, "You go down, and I'll pull the two of you out. You're lighter, and I'm stronger."

"Sounds fair."

"Now we just need a rope…"

Ella and Areida looked around, searching for something they could use. Areida found a vine hanging from a nearby tree and pulled it off. "Will this do?" she asked.

"It'll have to," replied Ella.

Ella tied one end of the vine to a nearby tree stump, and Arieda tied the other end around her waist. Slowly and carefully, Ella lowered her friend into the pit. Once on the bottom, Areida approached the old lady.

"Can you stand?" she asked.

"I can try," the woman replied. She tried to get to her feet, but couldn't stand on her right leg. She leaned on Areida for support. Areida tugged on the vine and Ella pulled them out.

Once out of the pit, Ella and Areida helped the woman lay back on the ground.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" asked Ella.

"My leg," moaned the woman, "I think it's broken."

"Let me take a look," said Ella.

"What? Are you some kind of healer?"

"No. But we were both in Wilderness Girls."

Ella began feeling the old woman's leg, checking for broken bones. The woman moaned in pain. To keep her calm, Areida tried talking to her.

"So, how did you fall in the pit?"

"Oh, I was gathering some hemlock, and…ARGH! …I obviously wasn't looking where I was going."

"Hemlock? Isn't that poisonous?"

"Yes, it is, but if you…ARGH! …if you prepare it the right way, it can be used to make medicine for stomach problems."

The thought of an old woman turning poison into medicine made Areida think.

"Are you a…"

"Witch?" the old woman smiled, "Yes I am."

Areida was suddenly a little nervous.

"You don't eat children, do you?"

The old woman rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not that kind of witch. NRGH!"

Ella had finished checking the woman's leg.

"It's broken alright," she said, "In three places."

The old woman sighed. "Just get me back to my cart. I can patch myself up at home." Ella and Arieda helped the old woman to her feet. Once she had straightened her gypsy hat and dusted off her sweater vest, the girls led her the short distance to her cart.

"By the way, I don't think we've been properly introduced," said the woman, "The name's McPhiney, Agnes McPhiney."

"Ella of Frell," said Ella.

"Areida of Ayorthia," said Areida.

"Pleased to meet you both," said Mrs. McPhiney, "So, Frell. That's quite a ways away. What brings you all the way out here?"

"A bad day and a need to get out of a stuffy house," answered Ella.

"Yes, well, nature is a wonderful healer," said Mrs. McPhiney.

"Unfortunately, I think we may have gotten turned around a little ways back," said Areida.

"In other words, you're both lost." The girls looked embarrassed.

"Tell you what, why don't you both come back to my house. You can spend the night, and tomorrow, I'll show you the way back to Frell."

The girls looked at each other, nervously.

"I promise I won't eat either of you."

The girls chuckled. "Alright," said Areida.

"That's very kind of you, Mrs. McPhiney," added Ella.

"Oh, please, call me Aggie."

"Okay, Aggie."

When they reached Aggie's cart, the girls helped her into the driver's seat.

"I think your horse may have wandered off," said Ella.

"Oh, there's no horse," said Aggie, "It runs on magic."

"Cool," said Ella, as she and Areida climb on next to Aggie.

Aggie pulled a walking stick, covered with hand-carved runes and other pagan designs, out of the back of the cart. She tapped the seat with the stick.

"Forward ho!" she shouted. The girls' excitement rose as the cart began moving all by itself. It made it's way back onto the dirt road and headed off toward the edge of the forest.


	2. The Farm

As they came to the edge of the woods, Aggie stopped the cart

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-Please read and review-

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As they came out of the woods, the girls caught their first glimpse of Aggie's home. Aggie lived on a farm. They'd heard the expression, "the grass is greener on the other side," but without a doubt, the grass on Aggie's farm was the greenest. They could see several animals grazing in on it. In addition, there was a granary, an orchard, a windmill, a pond that formed by the creek, heck, Aggie had everything.

"It's so pretty," said Ella.

"Why, thank you, Ella," replied Aggie, "I've worked hard to keep this place going. The last for years have been quite hard, but we've survived."

"Then more power to you," chimed Areida.

The cart headed up the driveway and made its way into the shed, at which point, Aggie tapped the seat with her walking stick again and said, "Whoa, now!" and the cart came to a stop.

"Well, hop out girls."

_PING!_

Ella threw herself out of the seat and into a nearby pile of hay. Aggie looked surprised. To make Ella seem less weird, Areida leapt out of her seat as well.

"Good heavens," stated Aggie, "Are you girls alright?"

Ella got up and turned back to Aggie.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling nervously.

"Me, too," added Areida.

"I-I like to goof around."

Aggie didn't seem to be buying it, but nodded anyway.

"Alright," she said, "Just brush yourselves off, and I'll show you the farmhouse."

_PING!_

Areida brushed the dirt out of her dress. With an unnatural robotic behavior, Ella dusted herself off, until she was spotless. Aggie continued to eye Ella suspiciously. The girls followed Aggie out of the shed.

Outside, the group was confronted by a pair of elves. Ella and Areida were a bit surprised.

"Top of the day to ya, Mrs. Mac," said the taller of the two elves.

"Hello, Elric," she replied.

"Well, we've just finished the southeast acre, and we're ready to call it a day."

"Well, before you leave, would you mind unloading the cart and taking everything down to the storage cellar."

"We'd be glad to, ma'am," announced Elric, "Won't we, Bob?" He elbowed the shorter elf beside him.

"Wha? Oh, yeah, sure Mrs. Mac," said the younger elf, whose mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"Thank you. Oh, by the way boys," Aggie motioned to Ella and Areida, "This is Ella of Frell and Areida of Ayorthia. Girls, this is Elric of Evergreen and his nephew, Bob."

Both girls nodded politely. "How do you do?" said Ella.

"Delighted," replied Elric.

Aggie continued. "Elric runs the day-to-day operations on the farm when I'm not around, and Bob, well, Bob does whatever his uncle tells him to do, isn't that right, Bob?"

Bob smiled, sarcastically, and gave a thumbs-up. Then, he and his uncle headed into the barn to unload the supplies.

"So, you have elves working on your farm," Arieda said, noticing the elves, scurrying about the farm.

"There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" asked Aggie.

"No, of course not," Areida responded, "It's just that in the city, elves are only allowed to sing and dance."

"Yes, well, the humans have put a lot of restrictions on what many non-human species can do. Most elves like sing and dancing, but many of them feel like they can do more. So, I told the elves if they wanted jobs, they could come work for me on my farm."

"Cool," said Ella, "So is it just elves?"

"Well, there's also some…"

"Mrs. McPhiney?" a deep voice spoke up from behind them.

Turning around, the three found themselves confronted by three, eight-foot-tall ogres with war clubs. The girls screamed and hid behind Aggie.

"Oh, it's alright, girls," she reassured them. "Hello Nish," she said to the head ogre.

"We pulled the stump out," Nish continued, "Do we get our sheep?"

Aggie thought for a second, then responded, "Go find Valeria, and she'll get you your sheep. And thanks again, boys." The girls hurried off as Aggie walked away.

"You have ogres here, too?" exclaimed Areida.

"Only for the big stuff."

"And they eat sheep?" asked Ella.

"It's how I pay them. They prefer humans, but I'm not going to feed them humans. Besides, I convinced them that sheep meat was healthier."

Aggie led the girls towards the farmhouse. She was leaning against her walking stick for support.

Just then, Aggie stopped and turned to the girls.

"Before we go any further, girls," she said, "I have a favor to ask."

Ella and Areida listened, intently.

"I have some rather unusual animals on my farm. Please don't laugh at them."

_PING!_

"We won't," said Ella.

As the girls passed the barn, the got a glimpse of Aggie's animals. And what a sight it was. Several of the chickens had only one leg. There was a horse that changed colors as it walked. There was a cow with two heads (one was a cow's head, the other was a bull's head). There were several furry, webbed-footed, duckbilled animals. And there were a pair of dogs with a thick layer of fur (almost like wool). One looked like it was pregnant.

Even if her curse hadn't prevented her from laughing, Ella wouldn't have laughed at the animals, although it would've taken some restraint. Areida tried not to laugh, but couldn't prevent a small snicker from getting out. She slapped her hands over her mouth and looked back at Aggie.

"I'm sorry!" she panicked, "I ju-ju-,"

Aggie smiled and put a reassuring hand on Areida's shoulder, calming her down.

"It's alright," she said, "I know I have some strange critters on my farm. The little ducks, we call them platypuses. They come from Australia, the land of odd creatures, and they're a unique mix of ducks, rodents, fish and reptiles. The cows, well, the cows are an unfortunate accident of birth. We call the bull Angus, and the cow Clarabelle. While they were still in their mother's womb, they somehow merged, and this is the result. On the plus side, there were no complications with their birth." Ella stepped forward to pet them, but Aggie stopped her with her walking stick. "I wouldn't get too close. Angus is very temperamental, and he's very protective of his sister." She pointed to the horse. "The horse's name is Charlie. Get it? Charlie Horse?" The girls giggled. "Charlie's rather easy to explain. There are certain pigments in the hairs of his coat that reflect certain rays of light. So when he walks, different shades of color are reflected, making him, truly, a horse of a different color." The girls giggled again.

Just then, the two wooly dogs approached.

"And who are these two?" asked Areida.

"Ah, these are my prized sheepdogs, Rex and Maddie."

"Sheepdogs?"

"In some countries, sheep are scarce. So, these dogs are valued for their wool-like fur. I just have them, because I thought they'd be an interesting addition to the farm."

Ella glanced at Maddie's belly again, and couldn't help asking.

"Is she pregnant?"

Aggie smiled and nodded. "Yes, she is. She's due any day now, and we're all excited for her." She leaned over and patted Maddie on the head. "Maddie's going to be a good mother, aren't you, girl?" Maddie barked in agreement.

"And what about the one-legged chickens?" asked Areida.

Aggie looked at the chickens hopping around, then looked back at the girls and chuckled.

"That's a very long story," she answered, "Maybe I'll tell you girls later."

Aggie led the girls into the farmhouse.

The first room the three entered with the kitchen. As the entered, they were greeted by the smell of warm apple pie baking in the oven. The kitchen was very well organized, but at the same time, there was a lot of stuff laying in neat, little piles all over the place. The walls were covered with pictures and wiccan trinkets.

As they looked around the room, Ella noticed an owl, perched on the wall.

"What a cute owl," Ella said, "Does he do anything magical, too?" She gently poked it in the stomach.

"What, what, what, what, what!" shouted the owl. He ruffled his feathers, angrily.

"Young lady, where are your manners? Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to touch people without their permission?"

The girls gaped in shock.

"He can talk," said Areida.

Aggie chuckled as she walked over.

"It's alright," she said to the owl, "Their with me. Girls, may I introduce my closest friend…"

"T.O. Socrates, at your service," interrupted the owl, as he bowed to the girls.

"What's the T.O. for?" asked Ella.

"The Owl," Aggie said, before Socrates could answer, "He uses the initials, because he thinks it makes him sound more intelligent." Socrates glared at her and ruffled his feathers. "He's an educated owl. We were actually classmates in college. He used to help me with my exams. He's been following me around ever since, making sure I stay out of trouble."

"Indeed," said Socrates, "And speaking of trouble, what happened to your leg?"

Aggie looked down at her leg, then back at Socrates. "An accident in the woods. If it weren't for these girls, I don't know what I would've done."

"Well, I'm glad you're alright, but who's going to about supper? The elves have already left, and there's no way you can work in your condition."

Aggie looked at the girls. "Would either of you mind if I asked you to get a few things from the barn and garden for supper? I can still cook it, I just need you girls to get for me."

Ella and Areida thought about it for a minute, then Ella answered for both of them, "If we must."

"Thank you, girls. Socrates will show you what you need to. In the meantime, I'm going to get myself some first aid." Aggie went upstairs. Ella and Areida followed Socrates outside to the garden.


	3. The Chores and the Spa

As they came to the edge of the woods, Aggie stopped the cart

* * *

Hey, I'm back. Sorry for taking so long. I wanted the wording to be just right. Enjoy, and please leave some feedback (if you can).

* * *

Ella was out by the pond, clutching a net. Socrates was perched on her shoulder.

"Are you sure this will work?" she asked the owl, "You have to admit, it does sound a little corny."

"But that's how we do it," said Socrates. "Just hold the net out and say 'jump'."

"Alright." Ella stuck her net out over the water. "Jump!" she said. A large trout jumped out of the water and into the net. Ella gasped in amazement. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, "That's…cool."

"Told ya," Socrates smirked.

* * *

Areida was over in the barn. She had to get some milk from Clarabelle. This proved difficult, since every time she got close to her, Angus would, angrily, shoo her away.

Just then, Socrates flew in. "How's everything in here?" he asked.

"I can't get the milk," Areida stated, "Every time I get close, Angus gets mad."

Socrates thought for a moment, then replied, "Have you tried asking him for permission?"

Areida was surprised for a second. "Does that work?"

"If you don't try, how will you ever know?"

Nervously, Areida turned back to Angus. "Angus," she said, "I'd like to get some milk, please."

Politely, Angus bowed his head, allowing Areida to approach. Areida placed the bucket under Clarabelle's utters, and, like magic, Clarabelle filled it up. (USE YOUR IMAGINATION)

"Neat!" stated Areida, as she picked up the bucket.

"See what happens when you try?" said Socrates.

* * *

Ella was now over by the old honey tree behind the orchard. Ella was trying to get some honey, but the swarm of bees wouldn't let her near the hive. She turned to Socrates, who was perched on the branch above her.

"Okay," she said, "What's the trick?"

"Ask for their permission," answered Socrates.

"Okay," replied Ella.

"Can I please have some honey?" she said to the bees.

The swarm, immediately, dispersed.

"Now place the jar in the tree."

Ella placed her honey jar into a hole in the tree. A minute later, she pulled the full honey jar out of the tree.

"Sweet," said Ella.

"Indeed," responded Socrates.

* * *

Half an hour later, the girls returned to the house with their small harvest. They had gotten a small wagon from the shed, when they realized that they couldn't carry everything back at once (and they just didn't feel like making two trips). Although all of the tasks had been quick and easy, some of them had required the girls to get dirty and sweaty.

Aggie was waiting in the kitchen when they entered. She had every fire in the kitchen going; the stove, the oven, the cooking pot over the hearth and a spit were all ready and waiting.

"Well," she said, clearly impressed by everything they'd brought. "This is quite a harvest."

Just then, she noticed how the girls were covered with sweat and dirty.

"My," she said, wearily, "you both look…" Aggie was too polite to say 'filthy.' "Why don't you both go and clean up in the bathhouse?"

"That would be nice," Ella sighed.

"It's out back. To get in, you must…" She looked both girls square in the eye. "Listen carefully, girls. This is the important part. To get in, you have to knock three times. No more, no less. Got it?"

"We got it," Areida nodded. She followed Ella out the door.

* * *

Out in the backyard, the girls found a small outhouse. The girls were less than impressed. The outhouse was so small it seemed only one person could barely fit into it at a time. And it looked like no one had used it in years.

"Are you sure this is the right spot?" asked Areida.

Ella sighed, "Only one way to find out."

Ella went up to the door and knocked. "One, two…three."

Suddenly, they heard movement from inside. The door opened, and a young Frenchman greeted the girls.

"Bonsoir, mademoiselle," he said, "I am Jean-Paul, and I, along with my colleagues, will be attending to you tonight. If you will please, follow me."

Ella and Areida followed Jean-Paul into the bathhouse. It was much larger on the inside and resembled a day spa. Inside, they were introduced to Jean-Paul's colleagues, another young man, and two young women. One of the girls was also French. The other two were latinos. "This is Carlos, Claudia, and Bridgette." They smiled and bowed.

"So," began Jean-Paul, "How can we help you girls tonight?"

"Well," said Areida, "I was just thinking about a nice, long shower."

"Actually, it's been so long since I've had a bubble bath in," said Ella.

Jean-Paul nodded. If you would follow Claudia and Bridgette, they'll show you where to change.

Ella and Areida followed Claudia and Bridgette to a changing room, where the girls changed out of their dresses and into some bathrobes. Then, Claudia led Areida down one hall to the showers. Ella followed Bridgette into another room where a bubble bath had already been drawn for her. The water looked so warm and inviting and sudsy. Ella slipped out of her bathrobe and into the bath.

"Ohhhh!" she sighed. She couldn't remember the last time she was this relaxed. A part of her wanted to just go to sleep, but she resisted. She did, however, lay her head back and just blocked out the stress of her life.

She lost track of how long she'd been in the bath, but after what had felt like several hours, (not really, it just felt like that) Ella got up and quickly washed herself off. As she got out of the bath, Bridgette handed her a towel. Ella dried off and slipped back into her bathrobe.

She met up with Areida in the changing room.

"Oh my gosh!" Ella exclaimed, "That was so relaxing!"

"I know," replied Areida, "I was so relaxed, I almost didn't want to get out of the shower."

Jean-Paul and Carlos entered the changing room and handed the girls their dresses, which they had washed, while they'd been taking their baths. The girls, quickly, changed back into their dresses.

As they returned to the front door, they thanked Jean-Paul and the others.

"Please, have a mint leaf," Carlos said, holding up a bowl of mint leaves.

"Uh, thanks," said Ella, as she and Areida each took a mint leaf. "Ooh, minty!"

"Well, thank you all for a very relaxing experience," said Areida.

The group bowed.

"Feel free to come back any time," said Bridgette.

"Thanks," said Ella and Areida, together. And they left and headed back to the farmhouse.


	4. Dinner

As they come back into the farmhouse, Ella and Areida were greeted by the smell of fresh baked apple pie. They found Aggie in the living room, shouting at her "big screen" crystal ball.

"Ridiculous!" she shouted. "Total outrage!" She looked up and noticed the girls enter.

"Girls, I'm telling you, a bunch of idiots are running this kingdom and all the kingdoms roundabout."

"Why? What happened?" asked Ella.

"Just watch." Aggie waved her hand and replayed the image in the crystal ball. It was the news.

"_In other news_," said the anchor, "_The kings of Europe have voted to send more reinforcements to the Holy Land. As mentioned earlier this week, the kings and the Church were to vote whether or not to start pulling troops out of the Holy Land. However, as many of you have heard, two nights ago, our troops sacked Jerusalem, boosting the morale of the soldiers. This morning, the church and the kings voted against bringing troops home. About 500,000 fresh troops are expected to be sent to the Holy Land. The promise of victory is now brighter than ever_."

"It's outrageous, girls," said Aggie, "Areida, isn't Ayorthia near Jerusalem?"

Areida nodded. "And I have family still living there. They say the crusaders are hostile toward them. They call my people uncivilized."

"If you want my opinion," said Ella, "They say the Crusades are a Holy War to retake the Holy Land from the "barbarians." If the Crusaders knew the Saracens and the Moors the way I know Areida, they wouldn't call them uncivilized. And besides, just because some important events in the Christian church happened there, I don't see that as a reason to conquer the people living there."

Aggie smiled contently. "Well said, Ella." She took her walking stick and got up. "Now, what say we go have dinner?"

As the girls followed Aggie into the dining room, Socrates flew by.

"Socrates," said Ella, "Aren't you going to join us for dinner?"

Socrates landed on the perch of his birdhouse, and shook his head. "I'd love to, but I need to get some sleep." He yawned and crawled inside his birdhouse.

"He usually takes a nap and goes hunting like normal owls," said Aggie.

* * *

In the dining room, the girls, once again, gaped in amazement. The table was covered was a small feast; smoked trout, roasted chicken, glazed yams, fresh garden salad, seasoned rice, potato soup, and so many other good things.

"Why don't we sit down, girls?" said Aggie.

After saying a quick grace, the girls helped themselves to the closest dish. They began swapping stories back and forth. Ella talked about her family, both her parents and Mandy, and even Dame Olga, Hattie and Olive. She blushed when Areida brought up her crush on Prince Char. Areida talked about her life in Ayorthia and her family's move to Frell. Aggie remained quiet for most of dinner, politely listening to the girls' stories. She occasionally opened up and told good story when there was an opportunity.

* * *

"So what about you, Aggie?" asked Ella, "Do you have someone special in your life?"

Aggie smiled and chuckled. "Well, there was this one young man." Excited, Ella and Areida listened, intently.

"What was his name?" asked Areida.

"John McPhiney."

"McPhiney?" replied Ella, "So he's your…"

"John's my husband."

"We met in high school. I actually saw him before he met me. You girls know how some girls drop a handkerchief to get a boy's attention?" The girls nodded.

"Child's play. I used to cast small spells to get his attention. It is so cute to see a teenage boy react to magic. I once made a flock of robins fly out of his locker. He looked so cute when he was shocked. But we finally met by accident. I was standing on a bridge in the woods. I saw him coming and started thinking of a spell to get his attention. I don't remember what spell it was, but it backfired and destroyed the bridge. So there I was, hanging from a crumbling bridge, fifty feet over a raging river, wondering why I'd cast that spell and trying to remember the hover charm my father had taught me. Just then, the plank I'm hanging onto for dear life snaps, but before I plummet to my death, John reaches out and catches me."

"Aww," said the girls together. "That's so romantic," said Ella

"He looked at me with those brown eyes and said, 'Are you alright, miss?"

"What did you say?" asked Areida.

"If memory serves, all I could do at the moment was babble like a fool."

This time, they all giggled.

"We dated all through high school. He was a blacksmith and a bit of an inventor. Some of the gadgets in the house are actually his design or made by him.

"He sounds amazing," said Areida.

"My family didn't think so at first."

The girls paused for a moment, then Ella asked, "Why?"

"Well, I come from a line of pureblood wizards and witches. Now, I love my parents, dearly, but they can be a little prejudice towards people they think are different. They didn't approve of John, at first. My father and my brothers used to cast spells and jinxes to scare him away. But my John didn't crack under pressure. Besides, my more sympathetic mother and sister and I were behind him. My father and brothers eventually warmed up to him.

"We got married in the spring, well I mean, not that spring, but the following spring. It was actually quite romantic. We actually had an outdoor wedding in the North Forest. There's a nice little outdoor chapel used by small coven of druids. It was lovely, even some of the little forest animals came. The only embarrassing moment was when my cousin had too much to drink, started making some obnoxious wisecracks, then started hitting on all of the bridesmaids. Family, you can't live with them, and you can't jinx them.

"Did you guys have any kids?" asked Areida, as she took another scoop of yams.

"Two," answered Aggie. "Robert and Celeste. They're both grown up now. Robert's an adventurer, nothing specific, just an adventurer. He works with a group called the Red Falcons. They hunt monsters, they explore uncharted territory, they hunt for treasure, they've fought pirates, heavens, those boys do everything. In fact, that's them on the wall up there. Robert's the one on the far right."

The girls looked up a portrait on the wall of a group of seven young men, (all different cultures and ethnicities) standing in front of an armored wagon with the words, **Red Falcons**, painted on the side.

"He's handsome," said Areida.

"Ooh, I sense a crush," said Ella, nudging her slightly, embarrassed friend. "What's wrong with his arm?" she added, noticing what appeared to be an artificial arm in the portrait.

"Oh," replied Aggie, "that would be Robert's robot arm. The Falcons had just hunted down and killed a coven of witches."

"Robert killed witches?" said Areida, looking surprised. "Didn't that tick you off?"

"Not when they kill, torture and terrorize innocent people. These were dark witches. Anyway, the Red Falcons ride in and save the day, but one of the witches cast a curse that blew off Robert's right arm. Normally, I can regrow lost limbs easily, but this was done by black magic, so it was beyond my ability to heal. Then, John came up with a brilliant idea. He designed and built a mechanical arm for Robert. He just needed me to attach it. The clockwork mechanisms in the arm were ingenious. Robert still had all of his dexterity, and he would brag that he now had an indestructible arm."

"Wow" said Ella, "So what about your daughter?"

"Celeste is a dancer," replied Aggie.

"Oh, what kind?" Ella asked, interested.

"Several kinds. Ballet, ballroom, and folk dance. Then for my 80th birthday, Celeste decided she'd give me a heart attack. She told me she'd taken up belly dancing. I spent the next three days beating myself and asking myself where I'd failed as a parent."

"I take it you don't like belly dancing?" said Ella.

Aggie shook her head. "It's much too provocative." She sighed. "But I got over it, eventually. It's her decision, not mine. And no matter what style of dance she does, she's good at it." Aggie pointed up at a large portrait of Celeste in an elegant ball gown. Next to the portrait was a slightly smaller portrait of Celeste in her belly dancing costume. The girls cringed as the saw the second portrait.

"Ooh," muttered Ella, "You're right. That outfit is way too small." Aggie smiled, grateful that someone agreed with her.

"So where's John?" asked Ella. "Is he working late?"

Aggie lowered her head a little. "John died about ten years ago."

Ella gasped. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…"

"It's alright, Ella," said Aggie, "I didn't say anything so how could you have known? As a witch, I knew I would outlive John by several decades. He actually lived to be 85. I was 82 at the time. I tried to make him comfortable in his last few hours. The last thing he said to me was that he loved me."

"Aw, how sweet," said the girls, almost in unison.

"The funeral was…" Aggie tried off and started to cry a little.

"If it bothers you," Ella told her, "you don't have to get into it." Aggie smiled.

"Let's just say it was lovely. But it wasn't the last time I would see him. Every Halloween, I bring him back from the dead, just so I can be with him for a few hours. But it's only for a few hours. Although we've developed spells that can resurrect the dead, Death will not be defied. In the end, we must all cross over. This spell just allows me to see John in the flesh for just a few hours. Then, he turns back to dust."

"Awesome!" said Areida.

"Um, I was just…" Ella said, nervously.

"Yes, Ella," said Aggie.

"I was just wondering, remember I told you my mother died when I was twelve?" Aggie nodded. "Well, I was wondering if you could bring her back, so I could see her?"

"Sweetie, absolutely," replied Aggie. "But you'll have to come back at Halloween. That's when the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest."

Ella gave an excited squeak. "I just want to know if she's well and if she's proud of me."

Aggie smiled. "If she's as good a mother as you described, I'm sure there's no way you could let her down."


	5. Good Night

To Pinery: Thanks for the suggestion. It's been a big help.

* * *

A little over an hour later, Aggie and the girls sat, contently, around the table.

"I'm full," said Areida.

"I'm stuffed," sighed Ella.

Aggie burped, then, politely, excused herself. The three had eaten more than half of the enormous feast before them, but now, they couldn't eat another bite.

"The only downside," said Aggie, "is that I made an apple pie for dessert, but I don't think we'll be getting to it tonight." The girls sighed.

"Next time," said Ella. "Next time, we'll save room for some pie."

The trio continued to just sit and sigh a while longer, until Ella finally spoke up. "Why don't we help you with the dishes?" she suggested.

Aggie smiled. "Thank you, Ella, but you know something? Tonight, I'm just feeling lazy. Why don't we let the dishes do themselves?"

As Ella and Areida sat there, wondering what that meant, Aggie turned to the dishes on the table. "Attention!" she shouted. To Ella and Areida's amazement, the dishes stood up in a parade formation. Many of them still had to be careful, since they were still carrying food. The dishes all turned to face Aggie.

"Forward ho!" Aggie ordered. The dishes marched from the table to the sink. They put the leftover food into small containers on the counter. When they were finished, the containers marched themselves into the icebox. Then, the dishes filled the sink with soapy water, and they all jumped in. They acted as if they were taking a bath. Once they were clean, the dishes marched into their respective drawers, shelves and cabinets. While they were both amazed by what they'd just seen, Ella and Areida could hardly call themselves shocked.

Just then, the clock in the hall chimed 8 o'clock. Socrates flew through the dining room and perched himself on the windowsill. "Well, I'm off, ladies," he said, as he stretched his wings. "I'll see you all in the morning." He pushed the window open and took off into the night.

"Well, girls," said Aggie, standing up from the table, "I'm off to bed. You're both welcome to stay up as late as…"

"Actually," Ella interrupted, "we're both feeling kind of tired."

Aggie smiled. "Follow me. I'll show you the guest bedroom."

As the girls got up from the table, Aggie stopped Ella.

"Ella!" she exclaimed, "Is that a gray hair?"

"A gray hair?" Ella exclaimed. "Where?" Aggie continued.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"Only twenty-four? Oh, that's much too young to be going gray." Aggie plucked the hair from Ella's head. "Ow!" yelped Ella.

"There, problem solved," said Aggie. She discreetly tucked the hair into her apron.

"Uh, thanks, I guess," said Ella.

* * *

The girls followed Aggie upstairs. As they walked through the upstairs hallway, the girls noticed a large bedroom that looked like it was decked out for royalty. The girls stopped and stared for a second.

"That would be my room," Aggie said, smiling.

"It's very nice," said Ella.

"It definitely looks like the 'Master Bedroom,'" added Areida. Everyone chuckled.

Then, Aggie and the girls continued on, until they reached a small room at the end of the hall. As the door opened, Ella and Areida frowned. The room was the exact opposite of Aggie's room. It was small and plain. The room consisted of two beds, a closet, a nightstand, and window on the opposite wall. There was no rug, no wallpaper and the only light in the room, besides the window, was a candle on the nightstand. It was chilly, and the beds didn't look very comfortable.

"I am sorry, girls," Aggie apologized. "I know it's not much to look at, but it is the best I can do right now." Ella sighed, and turned to Aggie. "It'll do," she said.

Areida added, "I once had to sleep on a hardwood floor. But, at least here, there's a bed."

"But could we get some more blankets?" asked Ella.

"Absolutely," said Aggie. Aggie headed down the hall and returned with two blankets and pair of pajamas for both of the girls.

"If you girls need anything else, you can knock on my door anytime." Aggie smiled and closed the door as she left.

The girls changed for bed, quickly. As they crawled into bed, the girls got another surprise. The beds, although they looked hard and uncomfortable, were actually quite soft and warm.

"I should've guessed," said Ella. "If I had to describe Aggie, I would probably say, 'not what she seems,' don't you think?" Areida was already asleep. Ella just smiled. "I'm sure you'd agree." With that, Ella yawned and fell asleep.

* * *

As Aggie closed the door to the girls' room, she hurried downstairs to her laboratory in the basement. The lab was a large, underground, cavern-like room where Aggie conducted most of her work and research. While the lab wasn't a top-secret location, it wasn't a room that too many people got to freely roam around. It was lit by a series of gas lamps, which Aggie lit as she entered the room. All around there were cauldrons that were constantly brewing, cabinets of equipment, both magical and non-magical, shelves of ingredients for potions and a small library of books and spellbooks.

Aggie reached into a cabinet and pulled out a magical microscope, a _spectrascope_. Taking Ella's hair out of her apron, she placed it under the spectrascope and took a look.

"Well," she muttered to herself, "This explains quite a bit."

"Um, Aggie?"

Aggie yelped in shock. She turned to the window and saw Socrates perched on the sill. Clearly, he'd also been spooked by Aggie's yelp.

"Socrates," Aggie said, annoyed, "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me in the lab?"

"Sorry," grumbled Socrates.

"It's alright," Aggie replied, "What did you want to say?" Socrates flew down onto the table where Aggie was working.

"Have you noticed anything strange about that Ella girl? She seems like a nice girl, but whenever she's told to do something, even something rhetorical, she does it, and usually in a very robotic fashion."

"I did notice that, and I think I may have just figured out why she does it. Take a look."

Aggie moved aside, and Socrates hopped over and peered into the spectrascope. He saw the hair and noticed an aura surrounding it.

"This is a hair from Ella's head," said Aggie, "Notice anything?"

"Indeed," replied Socrates, "There's a magical aura around the hair. So she's enchanted." Aggie nodded in agreement. "It must be some sort of obedience spell."

"Who could've done this to her?"

"Take a wild guess."

Socrates thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Lucinda."

Aggie nodded in agreement. "Lucinda."

* * *

Despite her claims, Lucinda Periweather was not a true fairy. Over two hundred years ago, Lucinda was just a young witch's apprentice, working under Aggie's grandmother. While she had been very good at casting and maintaining spells, Lucinda had gotten to be a showoff and didn't always think about the consequences of her actions. Then, one day, she accidentally ingested some fairy dust, turning her into a human-fairy hybrid. Feeling she'd reached her full potential, Lucinda set out wreaking unintentional havok all over the kingdom. Feeling somewhat responsible for Lucinda, Aggie's grandmother stepped in to get her pupil under control. However, Lucinda believed that her mentor was jealous and wanted her power for herself, so she disappeared and went on the run. Aggie's grandmother spent years trying to find Lucinda, but whenever she got close, she would slip away. Over time, Lucinda was declared an official enemy of the McPhiney family. Aggie's whole family spent years chasing down Lucinda. Aggie spent much of her time and energy cleaning up Lucinda's messes.

* * *

"Can you undo the spell?" asked Socrates.

"I think so, but it'll take a while. I'd best get started." Aggie made her way over to the cabinet and started pulling ingredients.

"I may need to make some coffee, too."

* * *

Please read and review.


	6. Breakfast and puppies

I wanted to have the next chapter up by New Year. Just made it. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.

* * *

"Cluck-a-deedle-dee!"

Ella and Areida were awoken by a loud, off-key screech outside the window. Looking toward the window, they saw Socrates, perched on a tree branch, screeching in at them.

"I don't remember asking for a wake-up call," muttered Areida.

"Good morning, girls," said Socrates. "I trust you both slept well?"

Ella smiled. "Like a baby. Can I just have five more minutes?"

"Well, Aggie said she has breakfast ready, so I suggest you get dressed and head down.

PING!

Ella rolled out of the bed and started getting dressed. Areida watched and followed suit. Socrates chuckled as he watched them get dressed and head downstairs. He flew down to the kitchen.

* * *

In the kitchen, the girls found a hot breakfast waiting for them, eggs, bacon, hash browns, French toast, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and coffee. Aggie was seated on the far side of the table, combing her hair, which, at the moment, was in her lap.

"Good morning, girls," she said, looking up at the girls. The girls just stared in shock at her bald head and the scalp in her lap.

"Oh, don't worry, girls. It's just a spell."

"Y-you have a spell to take your head off?" stuttered Ella.

"It's just easier to comb the hard-to-reach places." Aggie combed two more spots, then replaced her scalp on her head.

"Curiouser and curiouser," muttered Areida.

"Come on, girls, let's eat, and I can send you two home."

As the three sat down to eat, Ella suddenly heard the sound of ringing chimes.

"What's that?" she exclaimed.

"It's the crystal ball," answered Aggie, "Apparently, I have a call." She waved her hands and her crystal ball hovered over to the table. Aggie waved her hand again, and the face of a young man appeared in it. Ella and Areida immediately recognized him from his portrait on the wall.

"Robert!" Aggie exclaimed to her son.

"Hey, Mom," Robert replied.

"How's Japan?"

"Wow, Mom, you would not believe the monsters they have out here. Out here, they call their giant monsters daikaiju. Now, I've seen some bizarre creatures, but this is a whole new level. In the past month, I've seen a beetle that spits grenades, a monster with a buzzsaw in its chest, and a three-headed dragon named Ghidorah. But those are just the bad ones. They also have monsters that protect the country, like a giant butterfly named Mosura, a winged reptile named Radon, and a spiked turtle named Anguirus. But their prized monster is a giant fire-breathing dragon named Gojira." Robert held up a picture of the monster. Aggie and the girls gaped in awe. "Yep, 400 feet of terror! Oh, and I use the term 'fire-breathing' loosely, because the locals call it 'atomic breath'."

"Atomic breath?" stated Aggie.

"I know," replied Robert, "I don't get it either. I think they said that the fire from atomic breath will kill you after the fire's already been put out. Eh, I just don't get it. The point is, where Gojira goes, you have to wait about a week to go back there. But enough about me, how are you, Mom?"

"I'm well," answered Aggie, "I'm in good health, thank you for asking, everything is business as usual here on the farm, and...oh, Robert, say hello to my houseguests, Ella of Frell and Areida of Ayorthia."

Robert turned around in the crystal ball. He smiled at the girls. "Well, hello, ladies! Robert Percival McPhiney, at your service." Areida blushed.

"So, how long are you to staying with my mom?"

Areida answered first. "We got here last night. Your mom gave us a place to stay, but we're leaving after breakfast." She suddenly had that enamored look in her eyes. "Wow, you're cute." She suddenly slapped her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. "I didn't just say that!" she stated through her fingers.

Robert chuckled. "It's okay, you're not so bad yourself. Hey, whatever the owl say about me, it's not true."

"Socrates didn't say anything about you," said Ella.

"Oh, good, then no worries."

"Will you be home for Halloween this year?" asked Aggie, "Your father was asking about you last year."

"Yes, I will. Sorry about last year. Didn't you tell Dad I was detained?"

"Yes, but that's a weak excuse when it comes to family."

Robert nodded. "I understand."

Just then, there was a loud roar in the background.

"Aw, dang! Mom I gotta go! I'll be home this year, I promise! And ladies, I was nice to meet you both! Gotta go, Mom! Love ya!"

The crystal ball clouded over and went blank. Aggie set it down on the floor.

"Robert seems nice," said Ella, "And now, I know someone has a crush." She grinned at Areida, who was still blushing.

"Hush up!" Areida replied, giggling.

"If you'd like, Arieda, I could set up a date for you and Robert. He likes to flirt, but he's always a gentlemen." Areida couldn't answer. She was still blushing and giggling.

After breakfast, Aggie asked the girls to help with the dishes. "I know, last night, I just waved my hands and the dishes did themselves, but we can't just use magic for everything. "

Ella smiled, understandingly. "It's no trouble. We'd be glad to help." Areida nodded in agreement.

"Then let's get started." Aggie replied. She and the girls, quickly, cleared the table and headed over to the sink.

As Aggie and the girls finished washing the dishes, the door burst open and Elric rushed in. He looked out of breath and panicked.

"Elric," said Aggie, "Is everything alright?"

"It's…it's Maddie," Elric said, between gasps, "I think…it's time."

"The puppies are coming?" asked Ella. Elric nodded.

"Thank you, Elric," stated Aggie, "We'll be right there." She put another dish in the cabinet.

"But there's a problem," Elric continued. Aggie stopped to listen.

"We don't know why, but not doing anything."

A concerned look spread across Aggie's face.

"I'm on my way," she said, sternly.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Areida.

"Do you have any experience as a midwife?"

"Only a little. But I'd like to help. Besides, it's the least I can do for laughing at your animals."

Aggie smiled. "Very well, come along." Areida and Ella followed Aggie to the barn.

* * *

Out in the barn, Aggie gave Maddie a quick check. Apart from her light breathing, Maddie was motionless.

"Everything seems to be in order," she said, "But why isn't she doing anything?"

Areida spoke up. "I know I'm not exactly an expert or anything, but maybe she's nervous." She pointed to the other animals, which were gathered around to watch. "I know I wouldn't want to be on display if I were pregnant."

"That's crazy, Areida," replied Aggie.

"Well, as I said, I not an-,"

"I wish I'd thought of it first."

Areida was a bit surprised. "But you just said it was a crazy idea."

"Yes, I said it was a crazy idea, not a bad one. And some of the best ideas in history have been crazy ideas. Thank you, Areida."

Aggie turned back to the animals. "Alright, everybody out. Let's give Maddie some privacy. Rex can stay, because he's the father. Don't worry, you'll all get to see the puppies when they arrive." Slowly, the animals exited the barn. Just then, Maddie began breathing, rapidly.

"I think she's doing it," said Ella. Aggie and Areida knelt down next to Maddie.

Ten minutes later, Maddie gave birth to five healthy puppies; three girls and two boys.

"They're so cute," said Areida, "Welcome to the world, little ones."

Aggie stopped for a moment. She smiled at the puppies. Then, turned to Ella and Areida. They were such sweet girls, and it had been a while since she had had houseguests of any kind. She would actually be sorry to see them go.

As the exited the barn, Aggie turned to the girls.

"You know what?" she said, "You girls have really been a breath of fresh air in this stuffy, old house. So before you girls go, I'd like to give you both a present."

For a minute, Ella and Areida were speechless. Neither of them knew what to say. Ella was the first to speak up.

"That's…that's very kind of you, Aggie, but after everything you've done for us, it just wouldn't seem appropriate."

Aggie smiled. At least, they weren't greedy.

"Girls, take it from someone who was young once. Don't pass up a good thing."

The girls chuckled.

"So, what is this present?" asked Areida.

Aggie smiled. "Go to the hen house. Gather up all the eggs that say, 'take me', but leave the ones that say 'don't take me'."

The girls were confused. "What does that mean?" asked Areida.

"You'll find out when you get there," Aggie replied. And on that note, she turned an headed toward the shed.


	7. Magic eggs

Ella and Areida were expecting to be surprised when they got to the henhouse, but that still didn't stop their jaws from dropping when they got there. The one-legged chickens were laying two kinds of eggs; first, there were the normal white and brown eggs, second, there were golden, silver and jewel, encrusted eggs.

"This woman never ceases to amaze me," said Ella. She picked up a silver egg just to admire it.

"_Don't take me!_" piped the egg. Ella jumped in surprise. While Aggie had said the eggs would say 'Take me' and 'Don't take me', she hadn't expected them to actually talk. She carefully put the egg back in the nest.

"Sorry," she replied.  
Areida chuckled. "Like I said, wonders never cease." She picked up a jeweled egg.

"_Put me down!_" snapped the egg. Areida also jumped and put the eggs back down.

Just then, a light went on in Ella's head. "Pick up a plain one," she told Areida. Areida picked up a plain, white egg.

"_Take me!_" it chirped.

"Uh, okay," Areida replied, nervously as she put the egg in her basket.

"Do you see where this is going?" asked Ella, encouragingly.

Areida thought for a moment, then answered, "The plain eggs want to be taken, while the fancy ones want to be left. That seems pretty ingenious, since I'm sure most people would want to take fancy ones." The girls hurried around the henhouse, gathering up all the plain eggs. Sure enough, they all wanted to be taken. Then, they went outside to meet Aggie.

Aggie was already waiting with Socrates perched on her shoulder. Charlie was hooked up to the wagon.  
"I thought you said the wagon runs on magic," said Ella.

"When I command it to, it does," replied Aggie, "but I thought Charlie could use some exercise."

"Now, let's get a move on," Socrates squacked, "Aggie has appointments to keep, which means you two need to be on your way."

"Hush!" Aggie stated to the owl. The girls climbed aboard, and they headed off into the woods.

* * *

A short while later, they arrived at a fork in the road.

"Well, girls, this is as far as I go," said Aggie, "You continue on your own from here."

Ella and Areida got out of the wagon.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," said Ella.

"It's certainly been an experience," added Areida.

Aggie chuckled. "Thank you, girls. It's been a pleasure having you as well. You're both welcome back anytime. And Ella, remember, we have to get in touch with you mother." Ella smiled and nodded. Aggie reached into the back of the wagon, and handed the girls their baskets of eggs.

"Don't forget these girls. Now, as you head home, throw those over your shoulders, and you'll get your presents."

"Once again, thanks so much," Ella said, gratefully, "This is all very kind of you."

Aggie smiled. Then, she pointed down the road.

"Get on the north road and follow it all the way to the edge of the forest. That will get you back to Frell." Just then, her pocket watch started chiming, and she checked.

"And now, girls, this is where I must leave you. Till we meet again, good luck." Aggie turned the wagon around and headed back up the western road. Ella and Areida waved as she headed off. Aggie looked back and waved back at them.

"Charming girls," said Socrates.

"Yes, they really are." Aggie agreed, "Just when I thought society had become ignorant, vain, stupid and selfish, these two sweet, young women pass by and reassure that there are still good people out there."

After a short pause, Socrates looked back at Aggie. "Did you give Ella her cure?"

Aggie grinned. "It's in her basket," she answered.

* * *

A short distance down the road, Ella and Areida found themselves staring at their egg baskets.

"So, should see what we've got?" asked Ella.

"Why not?" replied Areida.

They each took an egg and tossed it over their shoulders. As they looked back came out, they're faces lit up. Out of the egg Ella had tossed, came a white, ball gown, complete with shoes and a tiara. Areida also got a ball gown, although hers was more Ayorthian (Arab) in design. Both hurried over and held up their dresses, just to admire them.

"I must say," said Ella, "She sure knows how to make a lasting impression."

"Mm-hmm," agreed Arieda.

Immediately, the girls each took another egg and tossed them over their shoulders. Out came two new purses. As they picked up the purses, they noticed a note attached to Areida's purse.

"You can't carry a such a heavy load," Areida read, "so these purses hold more than they appear to." Ella and Areida peered into the purse and saw that, while small on the outside, the inside was massive.

As the girls continued on, they opened more eggs, revealing things they liked, like clothes and jewelry, things they needed, like books. Among the more interesting gifts, were a pair of crystal balls, a pair of color-changing horses (both female, and both sired by Charlie), and two bags of gold (each contained a note: 'Spend it wisely').

"Remember that really nice apartment we were looking at in Lamia?" Ella asked.

Areida smiled, knowing what Ella was hinting at. "Yes, I do," she replied.

"Roommates?" Ella held out her hand.

"Absolutely!" Areida took Ella's hand and shook it.

They loaded the sacks of gold into their purses and hooked them onto the saddles that had been previously strapped onto their horses.

"Looks like you missed one," Areida said, pointing to the lone egg left in Ella's basket.

"Well, let's see what's in it." Ella took the egg and tossed it to the ground. Out, rolled a small scroll of paper. Ella picked it up and read the note on it:

"No one should ever be forced to do as they're told. They need they're own free will. Ella of Frell, I release you from your curse."

As Ella finished reading the note, the ink wafted off the paper and into Ella's face. Ella coughed as she inhaled the ink cloud.

"Ella, are you okay?" asked Areida.

"I-I think so," Ella coughed, "But I feel a little weird."

"Maybe you should sit down. Here's a nice rock. Now, sit down."

As Ella started to sit, something dawned on her.

"You just told me to sit down." Areida nodded. "But I only went to sit, because I wanted to."

Areida's eyes widened in surprise.

"Quick, give me another order," said Ella.

Areida thought for a second. "Uh, dance." Ella didn't move. "Sing something silly." Nothing. "Skip in a circle."

"Maybe later."

Both girls' faces lit up in excitement, and Areida hugged her friend.

"How could Aggie have known?" said Areida, "Or better yet, how could she have known how to undo it?"

"I don't know," replied Ella, "But it feels good to be free."

The girls loaded the rest of their gifts into their purses, then climbed onto the backs of their color-changing horses.

"Thank you, Aggie," Ella muttered to herself. With that, Ella and Areida headed back towards Frell.

* * *

Please read and review. Next up: Hattie and Olive go looking for Aggie.


	8. Home at last

Chapter 8 is up, FINALLY!! Please read and review.

* * *

At the edge of the woods, Ella and Areida split up and headed back to their homes. It was almost noon when Ella finally got home. Just as she got to the front gate of her house, Mandy, her house fairy, rushed out to greet her.

"Ella!" she shouted, anxiously, as she threw her arms around Ella. Ella smiled and hugged her back. Although she'd always thought of Mandy as a big sister, after her mom had died, Ella had felt that she was the closet thing to a mother she had. Yeah, Dame Olga needed some serious work on her parenting skills.

"Ella, where've you been all night? I've been worried…What is that?" Mandy had just noticed Ella's rainbow horse.

"Oh, that?" replied Ella, "That's Rainbow. Not a very original name, I know, but she seems to like it. Anyway, Areida and I got lost in the woods yesterday, but we were found by a very friendly witch living in the woods. She took us back to her farm and gave us a place to stay for the night. And because we helped out and were so nice, she gave us each a rainbow horse, and a few other things, as a gift. I'll show you later."

Mandy nodded as she listened. "Oh, before I forget, your father sent a letter this morning. And thanks for showing up when you did. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain that you had wandered off into the woods and vanished yesterday."

Ella looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry. So what did Dad say?"

Mandy smiled. "Well, he said he found a job in Lamia."

Ella couldn't contain her excitement. "Oh my gosh!"

"Yeah, he found a development company that needed an architect."

"An architect? Wow, Dad's been talking about getting back into architecture since, well, a long time."

"He wants you and me to meet him in Lamia as soon as possible."

"And what about Hattie, Olive and Dame Olga?"

Mandy smiled again. "Your Dad said the divorce is almost final, so we won't have to worry about them much longer."

Ella giggled, excitedly and hugged Mandy again. "Can't you tell I'm having a great day?"

"Yes, I can," Mandy replied, finally letting go of Ella. "Now let's get you inside. You look like you could use some lunch, and maybe, a change of clothes."

"Maybe a little," agreed Ella. "but first, I'm going to take Rainbow to the stable." Ella took her horse and led it toward the stable, while Mandy headed back into the house.

Around the side of the house, behind the bushes, Hattie and Olive listened intently.

"Did you hear that?" asked Hattie.

"Yeah," said Olive, "Ella's hungry and needs to change her clothes." (Okay, maybe just Hattie.)

"No, no!" Hattie snapped at her not-all-there sister, "Ella found a witch who gave her lots of nice stuff." Hattie gasped, excitedly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Olive stared blankly for a moment. "Uhh…"

"No, of course, you're not. Just hush up. What I'm thinking is that we need to find this witch and make her give us nice stuff."

Now Olive gasped, excitedly. "Hattie, that's brilliant!"

"I know," replied Hattie, "but we'll need to discuss it with mother."

* * *

Later that evening, Hattie and Olive discussed what they had overheard with their mother. Dame Olga's expression didn't seem to change at all during the conversation.

"So Ella and Areida found a witch in the forest, who gave them expensive gifts? Very interesting."

"It's funny," said Olive, "You say you're interested, but you don't look interested."  
"It's the Bat-ox (Botox), Olive," Dame Olga replied, "I can't show emotion for another two hours."

"Anyway," stated Hattie, "We had a chance to look through Ella's things, when she left her bedroom. She hid most of good stuff, she probably knew we'd be interested, but we found some nice ball gowns, some books, hardly worth mentioning, and a few interesting trinkets. Also, we heard that she'd gotten some gold. We couldn't find it, though. It figures she'd hide that first."

"Indeed," said Dame Olga.

"So what do you think, mother? Should we go find this witch?"

Dame Olga thought for a moment, and then forced a faint smile.

"Yes, girls. Your stepfather is about to finalize the divorce, so any riches we can get would be greatly appreciated. Now, how do you plan to find the old witch?"

Hattie fell silent for a moment. She hadn't had a chance to think about that part yet. Then, Olive held up a crystal ball.

"With this!" she announced.

Hattie gaped. Dame Olga continued to stare, blankly.

"Olive, where did you get that?" exclaimed Hattie.

"In with Ella's things," answered Olive, "It was just sitting there, and it seemed to call to me."

Hattie threw her arms around her airhead sister and hugged her, tightly. "Olive, for once. your kleptomania has paid off!" Olive was speechless. She must've done good. Hattie never hugged her for any reason.

"Very well," said Dame Olga, "You girls have a go! Find that witch, and bring back any riches you can. We won't be poor for much longer!"


	9. Hattie and Olive

Hey everybody. Chapter 9 is up. Please read and review.

* * *

The next morning, the girls had Mandy pack them a lunch in a basket.

"So, where did you girls say you were off to this morning?" asked Mandy.

Before Olive could say something stupid, Hattie stopped her.

"We didn't," Hattie answered.

"Okay," Mandy said, still looking at them, suspiciously.

Once she finished packing their lunch, the girls went out and met their mother on the front porch.

"Now remember, girls," Dame Olga said, "Be nice to the old woman. You want her to like you."

"Don't worry," Hattie reassured her mother, "The old witch has to like us. We're nobles after all."

"Ella's a noble, too," stated Olive.

"Well, Ella squandered her family fortune."

"We squandered our fortune, too."

Both Hattie and her mother glared at Olive, who, immediately, shut up.

"Well, Ella mingles with commoners and foreigners."

Olive thought for a second, before responding, "We don't do that."

"Exactly!" boasted Hattie.

With that, the girls hugged their mother and headed off.

"Good luck, girls," Dame Olga called after them. "And don't come back, until we're rich."

As they came to the edge of the woods, Hattie pulled Ella's crystal ball out of the satchel.

"Show us the way to Agnes McPhiney," she declared. The crystal ball revealed a series of images, showing them the way they needed to go.

"Right, on we go then."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" whined Olive.

"No!" shouted Hattie, "If you ask me that again, I'll have no choice but to hurt you."

It was pretty clear that Hattie and Olive were both cranky. They had been wandering through the woods for hours. They were tired, their feet hurt, they had almost eaten everything in their basket, and they just didn't like nature. Hattie took another look into the crystal ball.

"Alright," she said, inquisitively, "We just past the big rock, so we should almost be there. Not much longer now."

Just then, they heard a woman screaming.

"Help me!"

Both girls stopped in their tracks. "What was that?" exclaimed Olive.

Hattie looked around as the screams continued. After a few seconds, she turned and pointed down small trail. "It came from that way," she stated. "C'mon."

The girls ran down the trail, towards the screams.

A short distance away, they spotted an old woman in a gypsy hat, tied up on the ground as highwaymen raided her wagon.

"Shouldn't we help her?" asked Olive.

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea, genius," Hattie snapped, bopping her sister over the head. "Let's go face the bad men and get mugged. Besides, do you know what men like that do to young women?"

Olive shook her head. Hattie leaned in and whispered in Olive's ear. Olive gasping in terror.

"Still want to help the old lady?"

"Absolutely not!" cried Olive.

"Good, let's keep going."

* * *

An hour later, the girls found their way back to the old woman. The highwaymen were gone, the wagon was nearly empty, and the woman lay on the ground, still bound and shivering in fear.

"Can we help her now?" asked Olive.

"I suppose," answered Hattie, "but first…"

The girls approached the old woman. "You there, old woman!"

The woman looked up at the girls. "Please help me," she begged.

"Of course," said Hattie, "but first, answer my questions. Do you live in these woods?"

"Yes, I do," answered the woman.

"Do you know someone named Agnes McPhiney?"

"That's me," replied the woman, "I'm Agnes McPhiney."

Hattie and Olive stared blankly for a moment. Of course, that look was normal for Olive.

"You're the witch?" asked Hattie. Aggie nodded.

"Wait, if you're a witch, why didn't you use your magic to stop those highwaymen, or to untie yourself?"

Aggie frowned. "How silly of me," she grumbled. While she was perfectly capable of rescuing herself, when she had noticed the girls the first time they had passed by, she wanted to give them an opportunity to be charitable. Unfortunately, they had passed it up.

"_Liberatum!_" Aggie cried. Her bonds were immediately loosed, and she got to her feet.

"Y'know," Hattie muttered to Olive, "for a witch, she's not very bright. She needed me to tell her she could untie herself? She's almost as dumb as you are."

"Oy, that's bad," agreed Olive.

Aggie brushed herself off and headed back to her wagon. Looking into the empty wagon, she shook her head and sighed.

"Six bags of wool, 500 fresh eggs, 200 pounds of produce and 100 pounds of beef, pork, veal and poultry. All gone. A lot of good people aren't getting paid this week."

Hattie spoke up. "Anyway, Aggie."

Aggie turned and glared at Hattie. "We haven't been properly introduced, girls. I prefer Mrs. McPhiney."

"But Ella said you let her call you Aggie."

"Ella?" exclaimed Aggie, "You mean Ella of Frell?"

Hattie nodded. "I'm Hattie of Lamia, and this is my sister, Olive." Olive smiled and waved. "We're also the daughters of Dame Olga, so were both very important people."

"So you're Ella's stepsisters. Ella told me all about you."

"All of it good, I presume."

Aggie crossed her fingers behind her back. "Of course."

Hattie smiled and nodded, as if she were accepting an award.

"We want a present," said stated.

Aggie sighed, again. "Girls, this isn't the best time to be asking me for anything. I just lost a week's worth of groceries for the market."

Hattie rolled her eyes. "Well, you're a witch. Just wave your hands, and fix everything."

Aggie shook her head. "It's not that simple, girls."

"Yes, it is! You're a witch. You can do magic."

"Yes, I can do magic, but even magic has rules, and one of those rules is that you can't make something out of nothing."

Hattie stared blankly for a moment. "But you gave Ella and Areida a present."

"And that's another thing," said Aggie. "A present isn't something you ask for. It comes to you as a surprise."

Hattie made a pouty face, and so did Olive.

For the umpteenth time, Aggie sighed. "Tell you what, girls. I'll take you back to my house. I'll feed you and give you both a bed for the night. I may ask you to help out. If you prove to be good houseguests, you'll get a present. Deal?"

Hattie took Aggie's hand and shook it. "Deal."

"Very well," Aggie said, climbing into her wagon. "Hop up, girls."

Hattie and Olive climbed into the wagon. Aggie took her walking stick out of the back of the wagon and tapped the front of the wagon.

"Forward ho!" she shouted. The wagon began to move and headed off towards the edge of the woods.


	10. Back to the Farm

Chapter 10 is up, and just in time too. Enjoy.

* * *

The ride back to the farm was an unpleasant one for Aggie. The girls kept arguing with each other about silly, nonsensical things, and complained to her about the most random things:

_"This road is too bumpy!"_

_"Why is it so hot?"_

_"Isn't there anything to eat?"_

Eventually, Aggie pulled a pair of earplugs out of her purse and put them on. While it didn't stop the nagging, it did make the trip a little bit more tolerable.

* * *

As they came up to the farm, Hattie and Olive took no notice of the picturesque landscape. The wagon made its way up the driveway, and came to a halt in the shed.

"Alright, girls," Aggie said, taking out her earplugs, "Everybody out." As they climbed out of the wagon, Olive couldn't help, but make a comment.

"It smells in here!" she exclaimed.

"It's supposed to smells, Olive," replied Aggie, "It's a shed."

"Still, she has a point," said Hattie, "Would it kill you to use some air freshener in here?"

As Hattie strutted past, Aggie muttered to herself, "If you think this is bad, you should smell the pasture on a hot day after it's been fertilized."

As they exited the shed, they were met by an elf.

"Mrs. Mac," stated Elric, "You're back early. Is everything alright?"

"I'm afraid not, Elric," sighed Aggie, "Could you gather everyone in front of the farmhouse. I have some bad news."

Elric sighed, but nodded understandingly. Then, he noticed the girls.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Who do we have here?"

Aggie smiled, but rolled her eyes. "This is Hattie and Olive of Lamia. They'll be spending the night. Girls, this is Elric of Evergreen. He runs the farm while I'm not here."

"How do you do, girls?" he said. The girls nodded, unenthusiastically. Elric frowned. "Well, if you'll excuse me," he said, and hurried off.

"You have elves working on your farm?" Hattie asked. "What do they do all day, sing and dance?"

Aggie scowled. "Contrary to what you may think girls, elves can do more than just sing and dance. But that's all the Edgar regime will permit them to do. I hired them because many of them wanted to find real work outside of entertainment."

"But they're so small. Wouldn't giants be more efficient?"

"Yes, but the giants are overworked as it is. I hire workers, not slaves, and that's how I think the giants are treated."

"Well, it works, right?"

Aggie just shook her head. "Oh, before we continue on, girls, I have a favor to ask." The girls listened, intently.

"I have some rather unusual animals on my farm. Some of them can be a little bit sensitive, so I must ask that you not laugh at them."

"Whatever you say, Mrs. McPhiney," Hattie replied. Olive nodded in agreement.

* * *

Aggie sighed and shook her head. Hattie and Olive were rolling around on the ground, laughing hysterically at her animals. Honestly, a part of her had expected this, but she had tried to think better of them. Clearly, that had been a mistake.

"Girls!" shouted Aggie. Hattie caught her breath and got to her feet. Olive continued to laugh idiotically, until Aggie swatted her with her walking stick.

"Sorry," said Hattie, still chuckling, "but you didn't say you had a bunch of freaks on your farm."

"Freaks! Hahaha!" added Olive.

As Hattie said 'freaks', all the animals went into an uproar. Aggie calmed them down and glared at Hattie.

"They're not freaks!" stated Aggie. "They're all just different."

"Whatever," argued Hattie, "They're still weird." Just then, she looked down and saw one of Maddie's puppies, tugging on her dress. She kicked the puppy away.

"Get away!" she shouted. The frightened puppy ran and hid behind Maddie, who growled, angrily, at Hattie.

"Sit!" she shouted back, "Bad dog!" Maddie continued barking.

"Maddie, heel!" stated Aggie. Maddie sat down, but still glared at Hattie.

Aggie looked back at Hattie.

"Don't kick the puppies! They're only a few days old, and they don't know any better."

"Well, there's no better time to learn is there?" Hattie scoffed. Aggie fumed.

* * *

A short while later, Elric had gathered the elves around Aggie's front step to hear what she had to say.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," she announced. "On the way to the market, I was attacked by highwaymen." A wave of shock swept through the elves.

"Are you alright?" one of the elves called out.

"I'm alright, but they took everything in the wagon." A commotion ran through the crowd. "That's the bad news. The worse news is that everyone will have to take a paycut this week. I'm sorry." As the commotion grew, Elric spoke up.

"It's alright. Everyone, it's alright. We'll manage. The important thing is that Mrs. Mac is okay, isn't that right?" Several of the elves spoke up in agreement.

"Thank you," Aggie replied, "And thank you for understanding-,"

"But what Mrs. McPhiney doesn't seem to understand," Hattie, rudely, interrupted, "Is that she's a witch, and with just a wave of her hands, she can fix everything.

That was a moment of silence as the elves stared, blankly, at Hattie and Olive.

Olive stepped up next to Aggie. "Everybody sing and dance!" she exclaimed.

"Who are these loonies?" shouted a voice from the back of the crowd. It was Bob.

Angrily, Hattie stormed up to the teenage elf and grabbed him by his collar.

"Hattie of Lamia!" stated Hattie, then added as an afterthought, "And my sister, Olive. And you'd do well to show us some respect!"

"Hattie!" Aggie shouted at Hattie and motioned to her to let go of Bob. She let him go and stepped back, but continued to glare at him.

"They'll be spending the night. But they don't speak for me in any way.

"Now, I'm going to make up your paychecks. Valeria will be handing them out when I'm done. And again, I'm sorry for how everything's turned out."

Aggie turned and headed into the farmhouse. Hattie and Olive followed.

* * *

Hattie and Olive didn't think that Aggie lived in a palace or a mansion, but for a woman who gave Ella and Areida such extravagant gifts, they thought she would live better than this. The house had a rustic feel, and everything smelled old. Several pictures on the wall looked as if they were staring right at them. It creeped them out! Odd objects, books and trinkets littered the kitchen. Many of them were so dull and uninteresting, that even Olive didn't see the point in swiping them.

"I apologize for the mess, girls," said Aggie. "I wasn't expecting company."

"Oh, forget the mess," Hattie nagged, "How do you live like this? I mean, seriously, a hermit would call this dull."

Just then, Olive chuckled and pointed to the owl on the nearby wall.

"She's even got a fake owl," she giggled.

"Fake?" shouted the owl, "Fake? Who are you calling fake?"

The girls jumped back in shock. Then, Hattie sighed. "Great, another freak."

Aggie tapped Hattie with the end of her walking stick.

"Hattie, I would appreciate it if you would stop calling my friends freaks."

"Hey, I call it as I see it," Hattie retorted. Aggie ignored her.

"Girls, this is my good friend, Socrates, an educated owl."

Socrates bowed. "Pleasure to meet you both."

"So, wait," chimed Olive, "The fake owl can talk and move?"

Socrates glared at Olive. "I take it you didn't meet these girls at a library, did you?"

Aggie shook her head. "I met them in the woods, after I was attacked by highwaymen. Oh, don't worry, I'm fine."

Then, Aggie turned and headed for her study. "Girls, I have to go and write out paychecks. If you wouldn't mind, I would like you girls to the garden and barn and gather up a few things for supper."

Hattie and Olive burst out laughing. Aggie turned back and glared at them, and the laughter died down.  
"Are you serious?" asked Hattie. Aggie nodded. "Uh, hello, we're nobles, we don't work."

"Really, then what do you do?"

"We relax in luxury, while servants work for us."

"Yeah, eat, drink and be merry!" piped Olive.

"Exactly," agreed Hattie.

Aggie sighed. "Well, unfortunately girls, we don't have any servants on this farm."

"You have a whole yard full of elves outside, ready to work."

Aggie chuckled. "Uh, once again, I think you're confusing workers with slaves. The people out front are honest, hardworking individuals, but I don't order them to do something, because I'm too lazy to do it myself."

"But we're both allergic to hard work," complained Olive.

"Wow," muttered Aggie, "That must really stink."

Hattie glared at Aggie. "Give us one good reason why we should do your stupid chores."

Aggie smirked. "I think someone doesn't want her present."

Hattie groaned. "Fine."

"Socrates will show you what you need to do. If you follow his directions to the letter, they shouldn't take as long as you'd think."

"And thanks for choosing me," Socrates muttered.

"C'mon, Olive," muttered Hattie. Olive followed her sister as she stormed out the door in a huff.

Socrates flew over to Aggie. "What did I do?" he pleaded. "Do you hate me this much?"

"Consider yourself lucky you didn't have to ride home with them," Aggie replied.

"Point taken, but I annoyed right now."

Aggie sighed. "We all are."


	11. They Just Dont' Listen!

Using her magic, Aggie was able to make up all the checks in just under a half an hour. When she had finished, she handed them off to Valeria, who was waiting outside her study.

"Oh, and Valeria," she said, as Valeria headed for the door, "Don't mind the girls. Honestly, they won't be here for long."

"Yes, ma'am," Valeria replied, and she left.

* * *

Another hour later, Aggie found herself staring up at the kitchen clock. It had been a full hour and a half and the girls still weren't back. Where could they be?

Just then, the door burst open, and Hattie stormed in. Olive followed close behind, dragging a small wagon of food behind her. Socrates flew in after them, flew up to his perch and ruffled his feathers, angrily. Aggie gawked at the girls. They were covered in dirt, their dresses were torn in some places and they had scars, bruises, blisters and stings all over they're bodies. And Olive was soaking wet.

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Aggie. "What happened?"

Hattie looked like she was going to explode. "Don't…you…ever…ask…me…to…work…ever…again!" she shouted.

"Don't you mean 'us'?" said Olive.

"SHUT UP!" roared Hattie. She looked back at Aggie. "Next time, tell those stupid elves to do your work for you! I am nobody's servant."

Aggie nodded. "Why don't you two go clean up in the bathhouse out back?"

"Well that would be the considerate thing, now wouldn't it?" snapped Hattie. She and Olive headed for the door.

"Oh, and one more thing, girls." The girls stopped and looked back at Aggie. "To use the bathhouse, you'll have to knock on the door three times. No more, no less. Remember that."

"Thanks," muttered Hattie, "We'll remember." They stormed out.

After they had left, Aggie turned back to Socrates.

"What happened?"

"They just don't listen!" shouted Socrates, "I told the bratty girl to ask for Angus's permission to get milk, she didn't and Angus headbutted her across the barn. The dumb one thought she could get a fish on her own, and fell into the pond. Then the bratty one tried to get some honey from the bees and once again…"

"She didn't ask for permission," said Aggie."

"Exactly."

Aggie turned and looked into the wagon. She began examining the food, and then she frowned.

"What is this?" she exclaimed, "Most of this is either not ripe, or spoiled."

"They just picked whatever they could get. They said they just wanted to get done as fast as they could."

Aggie sighed and rolled her eyes.

* * *

The girls gaped in shock when they saw the bathhouse. It was a shed that appeared to be only big enough for one person.

"She expects us to wash up in that?" exclaimed Hattie, "Now I know she's crazy!"

"Well, she said we had to knock first," Olive protested.

"Fine," Hattie sighed, "Go and knock. Three times."

Olive hurried up to the door and knocked, "One, two, and…" She paused. After thinking for a moment, she looked back at Hattie. "It's there something between two and three?"

Hattie rolled her eyes. "Here, just let me do it." She knocked, "One, two, three."

The girls waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Hattie knocked three times again.

"Hello?" she shouted. She knocked again. "Isn't something magical supposed to happen?" Still nothing. Hattie pounded the door in frustration. "OPEN UP!"

Just then, the door, slowly, creaked open. Inside, it was just as Hattie had predicted; the room was only big enough for one person, there was a toilet and a sink, which was filled with mud, and it looked as though nobody had used it in years.

"Why am I not surprised?" Hattie grumbled. "C'mon, let's go."

"Wait," Olive protested. "Shouldn't we clean up?"

Hattie stared blankly at her sister. "Olive, that place is a dump."

"But Aggie did tell us to clean up."

Hattie sighed. "Fine, go ahead and clean up." Olive went into the bathhouse and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Olive emerged from the bathhouse. Hattie chuckled. Olive's face was covered with mud, but she seemed very content about it.

"What's that on your face?" Hattie asked.

"It's a mud mask," answered Olive, "I can feel my pores tingling already."

Hattie chuckled. This was one of the only benefits of having an airhead for a sister and a sidekick; she was always good for a laugh.

"Did you want a turn?" Olive asked.

"Uh, no thanks, I think I'm good."

"Oh, well, at least have a mint leaf." Olive held up a small tray of mint leaves.

"Oh, thank you." Hattie took a mint leaf. Olive stuffed the rest into her purse.

"Well, not much else to do here, and it's getting dark. C'mon, let's go."

The girls headed back up to the house.

"She'd better not make us cook dinner."


	12. Bad Dinner

Hey, folks! Sorry, my brother just got married out in Utah, so I've had a busy summer. Chapter 12 is finally up. Hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

Returning to the farmhouse, the girls found Aggie seated in front of her crystal ball watching a public service announcement.

"The Black Death," stated the announcer. "Thirty years ago, this epidemic ravaged all of Europe, killing thousands, and reeking havoc on the kingdoms' economic and social systems. But thanks to a partnership of science and faith, this outbreak is in remission. But not all is well just yet. There are still several places across the lands, which are still suffering from the aftereffects of this terrible disease. So tonight, we ask for your donations so that we can help those who still need our help."

Aggie was putting some gold coins into an envelope. As she closed and sealed the envelope, she looked up at the girls. Hattie and Olive were cringing in disgust as they saw images of disease-ridded victims covered in boils, and some covered in blood, flash across the crystal ball.

"Not a pretty sight, is it?" said Aggie.

"Uh-uh!" stammered Olive.

"No, it's not!" exclaimed Hattie.

"Makes you wish you could help them, doesn't it?" Aggie continued.

Hattie scoffed. "No! It makes me want to stay as far away from them as I can. Honestly, have you seen these people?"

Aggie scowled. "Yes, I have. And not just in a crystal ball. I helped fight the Black Death, so I saw these people up close. I even helped save a small village from the outbreak. During the plague years, myself, three physicians and a cleric, were stationed in a small German village called Stulzburg. Believe me, it wasn't pretty. We actually lost a third of the population while trying to find a cure. I still wish I could've done more for them. But I didn't give up, none of us did. And after a year, we managed to come up with a vaccine that saved the town. We sent the vaccine across Europe, but I wasn't a cure, just a first step. Soon after, a stronger vaccine was developed, that saved the rest of the kingdoms from the plague."

"Wow," muttered Hattie, "But you know, if you really wanted to effectively stop the plague, you should've just quarantined the infected and exterminated them."

It took all the restraint Aggie had to keep from slapping Hattie.

"Honestly, if it's only poor people who are infected, just kill them off. They won't be missed. And by putting out of their misery, you'll pretty much be doing them a favor."

"Clearly there's a lot we disagree on," muttered Aggie.

Aggie picked up the sack of gold on the coffee table and walked over to the safe in the corner.

"Seven, seventeen, forty-nine," she said, as she dialed the combination. She gasped and covered her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that out loud." She looked back at the girls.

"I can trust you girls, can't I?"

"Oh, of course!" Hattie said, sounding sincere. She crossed her fingers behind her back and kicked Olive in the ankle.

"Huh, wha? Oh, yeah, of course," Olive stammered. "What are we agreeing to?"

Aggie seemed to believe them.

"Okay, girls." She closed the safe and locked it. "Now, c'mon, let's go have dinner."

* * *

Aggie wasn't the least bit surprised. The girls had complained about everything else, why shouldn't they complain about dinner?

"You call this a meal?" Hattie screeched, as stared at the meager dinner, which consisted of soup, a salad and yesterday's leftovers. "This…just won't do!"

Aggie sighed. "Well, girls, you didn't exactly give me much to work with."

"We brought you a whole wagon of food!" shouted Hattie.

"Yeah, I got slapped by a fish!" added Olive.

"Well, most of what you brought me was spoiled or not ripe, so I had to improvise."

Hattie groaned. "And once again, we come back to the fact that you're a witch! Just wave your hands and fix all this!"

"And once again, Hattie, I have to remind you that I'm a witch, not a miracle worker. I admit, I'm good, but I can't feed a multitude with five loaves of bread, I can't make fish appear out of thin…water, and I certainly can't turn water into wine."

"I can turn water into wine," cried Socrates. Everyone turned and watched as the old owl tipped a wine cooler off a shelf and into a pitcher of water.

Aggie chuckled, and then zapped Socrates with a magic bolt from her fingertip. Socrates ruffled his feathers, angrily.

"Blasphemous smart-alec," said Aggie

Socrates huffed and flew over to his birdhouse.

"Well, girls, shall we eat?" The pampered heiresses glared at their hostess.

"Look, girls, either you eat now, or go to bed on empty stomachs later. Sorry, rules of the house."

The girls sighed and sat down.

* * *

The dinner conversation that evening was very lackluster, and Aggie felt she was getting dumber just listening to it. She would ask the girls an intelligent question and get an idiotic answer in response.

"So Hattie, what are your goals for the future?"

"Oh, I can answer that!" interrupted Olive. "She wants to marry Prince Char and become queen of Lamia."

_Now that was a somewhat intelligent answer._

"And what do you plan to do as queen?"

"Be rich and adored and married to the hunkiest prince in the land!" declared Hattie.

_Or not._

"But do you plan to help make things better for the people?"

Hattie chuckled. "No, the system is perfect as is. Elves working as entertainers, giants working as laborers, all so they we humans can be happy and carefree.

_Ah, yes, she's vain and stupid._

"And if a problem should ever arise, we'll have a team of advisors to tell us what to do." "And let's not forget that I'll be married to the greatest king in land."

"Oh, so you think Charmont will be a good king. Is it because of his policies, his viewpoints, his education?"

"It's his face! My goodness, he's gorgeous!"

Aggie sighed. _Yeah, I can just feel my IQ dropping as they speak._

Olive looked up at the wall with all the portraits.

"Who are all these people?"

Thank you, a subject change. "That is my family and my friends. See the tall, handsome gentleman. That's my husband, John, a brilliant engineer and blacksmith. He actually built many of the gadgets and gizmos that run the house and the farm. The young lady next to him…in the revealing outfit…is my daughter, Celeste. She's a dancer."

"She looks trampy in that outfit," protested Hattie.

_Okay, that was harsh._

"Who's the boy with the steel arm?" Hattie continued.

"Ah, that would be my son, Robert. He's an adventurer. He travels the world with his crew, the Red Falcons, looking for ad-"

"He's cute, but not as cute as Prince Char."

Aggie rolled her eyes. "Shallower than a puddle," she muttered.

"Who's the old man in the cape?" asked Olive.

Aggie looked up at the portrait and smiled. "That would be my father, Gregor, Governor of the township of Glendale."

Aggie suddenly found herself lost in memories of her childhood.

"My father's a great man. Industrious, intelligent, generous, kind to everyone, regardless of race or species, and very devoted to his family. Growing up, Father was always busy, but never too busy to be with his family. I still remember playing with my sisters in his office, while he was working on, eh, some sort of business, I was too young to care back then."

Hattie and Olive listened, but were clearly too uninterested to care.

"Oh, one of my favorite childhood memories was our family vacation to the Crystal Lake in the North Mountain Forest. I was nine at the time. One night, we were all huddled around the campfire in front of our cabin, and a unicorn just walked out of the woods. I was so excited. I'd never seen a unicorn before. I wanted to run up and pet it, but Father told me I would have scared it away. Very gently, he approached it with an apple, Father always knows just how to talk to people, and animals, showed it that we were friendly and brought it back over to the campfire. My two sisters and I each took a turn riding it. Now **that **is a memory you don't just forget."

"Did you keep the unicorn?" asked Hattie.

"Of course not," Aggie replied. "It's a unicorn, it's meant to run free."

"Well, that sucks. I would've kept it. People would pay good money to see a unicorn."

Aggie rolled her eyes. "Well, some of us care about more than just money. Anyway, there were some times we didn't get along. One such time was back when John and I started dating. Now I said that my father respected everyone, regardless of background, but Father lived through a witch-hunt as a lad, so he did have some issues against mortals. In some cases, he still does. So-,"

"Wait!" Hattie exclaimed, "You said 'he does'. Are you implying that your father is still alive?"

"Yes," Aggie said, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Well, you're what? 90?"

"Watch it!"

"So you're father would have to be like, what, well over 100?"

"150, next month."

"Seriously?"

Aggie nodded. "We witches age quite gracefully. So, the thought of me dating a mortal annoyed him a bit. He and my four brothers said and did a lot of things to make him feel unwelcome. But John was a strong-willed man, and he didn't crack easily. And he had me and my mother on his side. Eventually, my father came around and gave John permission to marry me."

Olive stared, blankly. Hattie listened, but she was bored by the whole story.

"Hey, can we talk about something else?" Hattie asked.

"Like what?" asked Aggie.

"Well, can we go back to talking about Prince Char?"

Aggie sighed as the girls went back to babbling on about how **hot **Prince Char was.

_I miss Ella and Areida._


	13. Sleeping Arrangements

Hey, I'm back! Sorry for taking so long, but I've been a little busy and a little lazy over the last few months. Well, Chapter 13 is finally up. Enjoy!

* * *

The clock struck eight o'clock. Aggie leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Well," said Hattie, "We're both very tired."

"Oh, yeah, so tired," piped Olive.

"Perhaps you should show us to our rooms." They got up from the table.

"Wait, girls!" Aggie called out, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Hattie and Olive turned and stared for a moment, and then Hattie spoke up.

"Oh, of course. Thank you for the meal, although next time I would put a little more effort into it," she said, as she curtsyed. Olive copied her sister. "Yeah, thanks for dinner."

Aggie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Thank you, girls, but that's not what I meant. Would do both be darlings and do the dishes?"

Hattie would have laughed if she thought that Aggie was kidding.

"Are you serious?" Aggie nodded.

Hattie thought for a moment. How could she get out of doing the dishes? Then she had an idea.

"Well, we're both very tired. Perhaps if we could do it in the morning…"

Aggie pondered over the thought for a moment, and then smiled.

"I think that would work," she said, getting up from the table. "Very well, in the morning, the dishes will be waiting for you. Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room."

As the girls followed Aggie upstairs, Olive looked over at Hattie.

"We're not really doing the dishes, are we?"

"Of course not," Hattie replied, "but by morning, she'll have forgotten. And by the time she remembers them, we should both be long gone with our presents."

Olive smiled. "That's brilliant! You're a genius."

As they walked through the upstairs hallway, the girls noticed a large bedroom that looked like it was decked out for royalty. The girls stopped and stared for a second.

Hattie was wide-eyed in amazement. "Please say that's the guestroom!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, girls," said Aggie, "That's my room. But it is quite a sight, isn't it? Come on, your room's done here."

Hattie and Olive's jaws dropped when they saw the room. Bare walls, bare floors, almost no furniture, a rank odor, one window that didn't stay closed, and two beds that looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"You must be joking!" shouted Hattie. "Is this really how you treat nobility?"

"Oh, come now, Hattie," replied Aggie, "The beds may look uncomfortable, but once you settle in, they're really cozy."

Hattie thought for a moment. When she'd finished thinking, she grinned. "I've got a better idea." She grabbed Olive by the arm and dragged her back to Aggie's room.

"This will do nicely."

"Girls, you can't do this!" Aggie cried. "I need that bed. I have back problems. That bed is specially designed for my back."

"Oh, well I hear the beds in the guestroom are quite cozy once you settle in," snapped Hattie.

For about five minutes, Aggie and Hattie stared each other down. Neither blinked, and their frustration mounted. Olive just watched, wondering who would blink first.

"Fine," Aggie finally replied, "You can have my room tonight." As she sighed, Olive saw Aggie blink.

"She blinked!" she cried, "She blinked! She blinked!"

"That's because we have her outnumbered," replied Hattie.

"But I want my pajamas," Aggie continued, "And my toothbrush. And my pillow."

Hattie waved her arm, motioning her to go ahead. Aggie quickly got her pajamas, her toothbrush from the bathroom and her favorite pillow off the bed. As she left, she zapped two sets of pajamas for the girls.

"Good night, ladies!" Aggie said, grudgingly. She slammed the door behind her.

"She needs to work on her people skills," Hattie grumbled. "The very idea of sleeping in that drafty room on those stiff beds. Well, at least we got the good bed." She turned to the queen-sized bed and smiled.

The girls changed quickly, and then crawled into bed and put out the lamps on the nightstand. For once, the girls were finally relaxed, resting comfortably in a soft, warm, comfortable bed lined with satin sheets. And yet…something wasn't quite right. Hattie could feel a lump under her hip. She pounded the lump out with her fist. She sighed contently and rolled over, but just as she was getting comfortable, the whole bed suddenly felt lumpy.

"I don't think I like this bed," complained Olive.

"Shut up," Hattie replied. She began pounding the entire bed, trying to get comfortable. Olive did the same, but the more they tossed and turned, the more uncomfortable they became. When they had finally pounded out all the lumps, they realized they were sweating.

"It's too hot in here," Olive whined.

"Well, then take off they covers."

Both took off their covers and immediately froze.

"Too cold! Too cold!" Olive piped.

"Agreed," Hattie replied. Both dove back under the covers.

And so it continued all through the night.


	14. A Heckuva Morning

Hey, everybody! Wow, it's been one busy summer, but chapter 14 is finally up. Hope it was worth the wait. Please read, review and enjoy.

* * *

It was around four in the morning when Hattie was awoken by a knocking on the closet door. It was totally dark, except for a few streaks of moonlight shining in through the window. It was completely quiet except for the knocking. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Hattie hopped out of bed and slowly made her way over to the closet, step by step, inch by inch. When she reached the closet door, she slowly reached for the door handle and yanked the door open. She was greeted by a hideous, green-skinned, wart-covered, old hag. Upon see Hattie, the hag smiled a sickening smile and reached at her with her clawed, warty hands.

"Come to granny, dearie!"

Hattie screamed…and woke up.

Hattie's heart was racing as she sat up in bed, gasping for air. She looked around. It was still dark and deathly quiet. She looked back at the closet. It was still, but Hattie wasn't taking any chances. She got out of bed, walked over to the closet, took a chair seated next to the closet and propped it under the door handle.

"Nothing else is coming out of there tonight!" she told herself.

"Hey, Hattie."

Hattie screamed and turned around. Olive was standing behind her with a large sack in her hands.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"Well, I…" Before Olive could answer, they heard noises outside the room.

"Quick, back in the bed," Hattie muttered. Both girls hurried back into the bed and ducked under the covers.

The door opened and Aggie entered, carrying a kerosene lamp.

"Is everything alright in here, girls?" She held her lamp up to the girls, both of whom seemed to be fast asleep. "Girls?" No response. With that, Aggie shrugged and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Hattie and Olive popped out from under the covers.

"What are you doing up?" Hattie said, trying to whisper.

"I was…" Olive stated, very loud.

"SHHHH!" Hattie whispered, "Keep it down."

"I was downstairs," Olive said, quietly, "I remembered the combination to Mrs. McPhiney's safe, seven, seventeen, forty-nine. I actually remembered something, me! Can you believe it?"

"Impressive," Hattie replied. Although she was just trying to humor her sister, she was mildly impressed that Olive had remembered something.

"So, I opened the safe, and I found this inside." Olive opened the sack, revealing a small fortune in gold.

Hattie's jaw dropped. "I knew she was holding out on us. Olive, for once, your kleptomania has paid off." Olive smiled, it wasn't often that Hattie gave her a compliment.

"So what do we do with it?" Olive asked.

"Give it to me," Hattie said, "I'll hide it, then tomorrow, while she's not looking, I'll stash it in our basket, and we'll head home rich again. C'mon, hand it over."

Hattie reached to take the bag from Olive, but to her surprise Olive wouldn't let go. In fact, she tightened her grip.

"Are we sure we can do this?" Hattie asked, "We're robbing a little old woman."

Hattie's jaw dropped from the shock of what she was hearing. "What are you talking about?" she exclaimed, "You steal all the time!"

"Well, then it's different. I get caught, and I put back what I took."

"What about at the mall? When we had Ella stealing things for us? You didn't seem to mind then."

"That's because Ella was the one stealing. I just watched."

Hattie groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"And besides," Olive continued, "Mrs. McPhiney is going to give us a big gift if we're good."

After a second of thinking, she looked back at Olive.

"Think about it this way. Mrs. McPhiney has been a terrible hostess. She's boring, she's rude, and she's made us her servants. Don't you think she owes us?"

Olive thought about it. She took too long thinking, so Hattie answered for her.

"She does. Now give me the sack."

Olive finally loosened her grip, and Hattie grinned as she stashed the sack under the bed.

Just then, they heard more footsteps outside in the hall.

"Back under the covers," whispered Hattie. Both girls dove back under the covers.

The door opened and Aggie entered the room again.

"Are you girls making all that noise?" she asked.

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!" both girls snored.

"I know you girls are up to something," she stated. "Keep it down."

Aggie rubbed her sore back and left the room.

Hattie smiled at the thought of her ill-gotten gains, and then went back to pounding the lumps out of her mattress.

* * *

As the sun rose and lit up the bedroom, Hattie was awoken by a knock at the door. She looked toward the closet.

"Go away!" she shouted. She tried to go back to sleep, but the knocking continued.

"I said-,"

"I think it's coming from the door," Olive yawned, nodding to the hallway door.

"Oh, it must be Mrs. McPhiney," Hattie replied, "One moment, please."

Hattie grabbed a nearby robe and put it on, and then she went to answer the door.

"Good mor-," She tried to sound sweet and innocent when she answered the door, but when she opened it, there was nobody there. Olive joined her a second later.

Hattie looked up and down the hall, but didn't see anybody. She was about to close the door, when she felt something holding the door open. Looking down, Hattie and Olive found themselves face to face with the dishes from last night, still covered in last night's leftovers. The girls stared at the dishes for several minutes.

"I think they want to be washed," Olive finally said.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Hattie scoffed.

Olive followed as Hattie stormed downstairs. The dishes tagged along. They found Aggie in the kitchen. She was seated at the table, she was still wearing her blue pajamas, and she was jotting down notes from a leather bound book in front of her. A large, delicious-looking (certainly an improvement over last night) breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, porridge, fruit and other good things was set out as well. Hattie and Olive took a second to admire the feast. Then, Hattie wrestled her attention back to Aggie.

"Good morning, girls," Aggie said, calmly, without looking up.

"Oh, don't you 'Good morning' me!" snapped Hattie, "What is this?" Aggie lowered her reading glasses and looking to where Hattie was pointing, at the dirty dishes.

"Well, I'd say it's the dishes and they need to be washed," Aggie replied.

Hattie scoffed and glanced out the front window. She could see the elves hard at work in the field.

"Well, maybe you should get one of your elf servants to do them."

"They have their own work to do," Aggie stated, "and besides, didn't you agree to do the dishes last night?"

"What?"

"Yes, I remember; you were tired and agreed to do the dishes in the morning, and I said, they'd be waiting for you then. That was the agreement, wasn't it? I certainly don't think you're the kind of person who makes an agreement with someone and then goes back on it, are you, Hattie?"

Hattie cringed. She could again argue that nobility and shouldn't have to work, but she'd agreed to this last night. Besides, Mrs. McPhiney didn't seem to have any respect for nobility.

"You said she wouldn't remember?" Olive whispered over her shoulder.

"Shh, I'm thinking," Hattie murmered. She thought for a little bit longer, and then looked back at Aggie.

"Alright, Mrs. McPhiney," she said, "Olive and I will do the dishes. But first, we'll have some breakfast."

"Yeah," Olive agreed.

As the two of them reached for a cup of coffee and a piece of sausage, they were repelled by a blue mist that surrounded the meal side of the table.

"Why don't you get it done now, girls?" Aggie smiled. "That way you don't have to worry about it later."

Hattie started to protest again, but Aggie interrupted her. "You know, my father used to say that if you don't have any oxen in the stable, you're spared the inconvenience of feeding and cleaning up after them. But how can you get any work done if you don't have any oxen?"

Hattie was confused. Olive was too, but that was normal for her. "What are you saying?"

"Wash the dishes! Don't waste time complaining about them!"

"Fine," Hattie grumbled. Excitedly, the dishes jumped up and down, then rushed over and jumped into the basin.

It took Hattie and Olive almost ten minutes to get started. Hattie spent most of her time searching for the soap and Olive needed time to figure out how the water pump worked. Once they finally got started, things seemed to be going well, but Hattie continued to complain.

"This is taking too long, and I think I broke a nail!"

About fifteen minutes in, Hattie turned to Olive.

"Stall her," she whispered, "I'll go get the gold."

"What should I do?"

"Anything! Just make sure I'm not missed."

Hattie headed for the kitchen door.

"Where are you going?" Aggie asked, looking up from her notes.

"Oh, I just haven't had a chance to go to the bathroom."

Aggie sighed. "Very well." Hattie hurried off upstairs.

"It's outside, remember?"

Hattie darted upstairs, then a few minutes later, rushed back down.

"I knew that," she said, acting embarrassed. Then, she hurried outside.

While Hattie was gone, Olive's short attention span led her back over to Aggie, who continued jotting notes on her notepad. Peering over Aggie's shoulder, Olive read Aggie's list: "Bloodroot, agave, aco…" That last one gave her some trouble.

"Aconite?" Aggie said, looking up at her.

"Yeah, that. Are these all for potions?"

Aggie smiled, "Indeed."

"Like love potions and flying potions and-,"

"I'm back!" Hattie announced, as she came back in (as if it needed to be announced). She pointed to Olive, who seemed more interested in Aggie's notes. "Get back over here. I can't do this all myself."

"Gotta go." Olive rushed back over to the basin to help Hattie.

Aggie smiled and turned to Socrates who was sitting on his perch, picking at his feathers.

"You know, I don't think Olive's not really as dumb as she looks."

Socrates looked back at Olive as she rubbed suds all over her face, and then giggled about it.

"Could've fooled me," he replied.

"I think she wants to be smart, but she doesn't know how. Maybe I can't do something to help."

Socrates shook his head. "It would take a miracle."

Aggie smiled. "I'm up to the challenge."

Half an hour later, the girls were tired, and their clothes were soaked from splashing themselves, repeatedly, but the dishes were done.

"Can we eat now?" Hattie whined. Aggie smiled and invited them to sit down. The blue mist dissipated, and the girls rushed over to the table.

As the girls dug into the delicious feast laid out on the table, Hattie realized something.

"It's cold!" she griped, "You made us do the dishes, and now, our breakfast is cold!"

"She's right," added Olive.

"It would've been warm if you hadn't complained so much while you were washing the dishes," said Aggie.

"So were just supposed to eat it cold?" complained Hattie.

Aggie leaned back and tapped a large pewter cauldron perched on top of a large iron box, which was set up behind her. She opened the iron box and added a log to the fire, and then pulled a lever which pumped the bellows and stoked the fire.

"You can put it in the warmer. It should just take a few minutes to warm."

"I've already waited 45 minutes to eat."

"Or you can just eat it cold."

"The warmer it is."

* * *

Once the girls had reheated and breakfast and were eating, the crystal ball began chiming. Aggie summoned it over and answered it. It was her daughter, Celeste, and she was clearly distraught about something.

"Mom," she sobbed.

"Celeste," Aggie replied.

Celeste wailed, "I-I want to come home."

"Good heavens. What happened?"

"Well, remember that guy that I was dating, who said he'd help me land a theater role?"

"Mm hmm," Aggie nodded.

"Well, I woke up this morning and he was gone, and so was all his stuff and all my money." Celeste wailed.

"Oh my goodness!" Aggie exclaimed in shock.

"Wow, you're an idiot," chuckled Hattie. Olive didn't think it was as funny, but chuckled along anyway.

"Hattie!" Aggie exclaimed, "Don't be rude!"

Celeste stopped sobbing long enough to turn around and face the girls who were laughing at her.

"Who in Hades are you?"

Hattie glared at Celeste with a sense of dignity. "I am Hattie of Lamia," she announced. She turned toward Olive. "And this is my…eh…special sister, Olive. And you'd do well to show us some respect."

"That's enough, girls!" Aggie stated.

Celeste turned back to her mother. "I know you and everyone else said that Iago was no good for me. I should have listened. But I really thought he could get me into an acting career."

"Well, I guess that makes you both gullible and stupid." Hattie guffawed.

"Hattie!" Aggie shouted. Hattie stopped laughing and straightened up.

Celeste glared at Hattie. "Seriously Mom, who are they?"

"They won't be staying long," Aggie reassured her. "They're leaving after breakfast."

"Okay. Look, I was wondering, would it be alright if I came home?"

"Sweetie, you shouldn't even need to ask. The farm is your home and you're welcome here anytime. Where are you?"

"I'm at the depot in Dunbar. I'll get a ticket for the 9:30 stagecoach and I should pull into the depot in Lamia around 3:00."

"I'll be there to pick you up. I'll wait for you all day if I have to."

Celeste was sobbing again, but it was a happy sob.

"Thank you so much, Mom."

"You're my daughter, I love you and I'll always be there for you."

"Last call!" they could hear the ticket man calling from the other side of the crystal ball. "9:30 coach! Dunbar to Lamia!"

"I've gotta go, Mom."

"I'll see you at 3. You be safe now."

"I will, Mom. Love you, Bye."

Celeste disappeared from the crystal ball and Aggie set it down. She glared at the girls, clearly annoyed.

"Finish your breakfast, girls. Then, get your things together. It's time you were on your way."

"But what about our present?" Hattie asked.

"I'm not sure you deserve a present."

Hattie and Olive gaped in shock. After everything this hag put them through, looking down on them for having opinions, making them work, treating them like commoners, now she wasn't going to give them the present she'd promised them. Hattie clenched her fists in rage.

Sighing, Aggie muttered a quick charm and removed her scalp from her head. As she started to comb it, Hattie and Olive stared in disgust.

"Eww, gross!" Olive exclaimed.

Hattie suddenly had an idea. She stormed over and yanked the scalp away from Aggie.

"Hattie!" Aggie exclaimed.

"Now you listen to me, you old hag!" Hattie shouted. "For the past day, you have been the world's worst hostess! You've treated me and my sister like dirt!"

"How so?"

"How so? How so? You've made us do you're chores!"

"All I asked you to do was help out a little."

"That's what servants are for! My sister and I are nobody's servants! Moving on, you've made us wash up in that pig sty you call a bathroom, and you wanted us to sleep in that dank, cold bedroom!"

"Okay, first, I gave you the spell to access the washroom,"

"That's true," interrupted Olive.

"Shut up you!" shouted Hattie.

"And second, I told you the beds in the guest room were quite comfortable."

"And Hattie, you remember the bed last night was so uncomfort-"

Hattie glared at Olive, and she shut up.

"And just now, you critize for stating the truth. If your daughter is dumb enough to let some stranger make off with all her money, she's an idiot. And in this glorious society, people that dumb are meant to be laughed at. And you come down on us for pointing out something so obvious?"

Aggie was starting to lose her patience. "Is there a point to all this?"

Yes! The point is that you owe us our present! After working and slaving and putting up with you for the last 28 hours, you owe us a present! Give us our present and you'll get your scalp back!"

28 hours? Aggie held back a chuckle. Then she sighed.

"Very well. Go out to the chicken coop. Take all of the eggs that say "take me," but leave the ones that say "don't take me."

Hattie smiled, suddenly much calmer. "Thank you," she said, feigning sweetness. She tossed Aggie her scalp and headed for the door.

As Olive got up to follow her, Aggie stopped her. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Uh, okay?" Olive walked over as Aggie rose and replaced her scalp.

"Huh, neat trick," Olive said, nervously.

"Thank you," Aggie replied. "Tell me Olive, what makes you think you're dumb?"

"Huh?" Olive was confused now.

Aggie continued. "Do you try to think or do you just let other people think for you?"

Olive thought hard for a second, and then replied. "Well, Mother and Hattie tell me not to think too much. It'll just make my brain hurt."

Aggie chuckled. "Well, I think you can be smart" She tried using small words so Olive would understand. "I think the main problems are that you don't know how to be smart, and your mother and sister have kept you from trying."

"Really?" Olive exclaimed. "You think I can be smart? Wow, no one's ever said that to me before. How does one go about being smart?"

Aggie smiled. She went over to the cupboard and returned with a small bottle.

"Take these." She handed the bottle to Olive.

Olive stared at the bottle for a few minutes. She shook it a few times and laughed at the rattling noise it made. Then, she turned back to Aggie.

"What is it?" she asked.

"They're called gingkos," Aggie answered. "They're smart pills. I want you to take one everyday. Can you remember that?"

"Uhh?" Aggie took out a pen and wrote, 'take one everyday' on the side of the bottle.

"You can swallow them or you can chew them. It doesn't matter to me. But take one everyday, and they'll make you smarter."

Olive jumped up and down excitedly. She looked like a happy monkey. "I'm gonna be smart!"

"Olive!" Hattie called from outside, "Get your lazy bum out here. You expect me to do all the work myself?"

"Coming!" Olive replied. As she headed outside to help her sister in the chicken coop, Aggie stopped her.

"Put the pills in your purse. Don't tell Hattie about them."

"Why not?"

Knowing that Hattie pretty much hated her, Aggie assumed that Hattie would think that the pills were poison, and that she was trying to poison Olive. So she lied, "Hattie might get jealous. And you'll definitely want these for yourself."

Olive didn't quite understand, but smiled and nodded in agreement anyway.

"You're right!"

She stuffed the pills into her purse.

"Olive!" Hattie yelled.

"I'm coming!" Olive replied, and ran outside.


	15. Bad Eggs

After months of waiting, the next chapter is finally up. Also, thank you to Ghostwriter for telling me the name of the story I was basing this on: The Talking Eggs. Enjoy!

* * *

Hattie and Olive made their way out to the chicken coop. As they walked, Hattie muttered to herself, "Take the ones that say 'take me', but leave the ones that say 'don't take me'. What in Hades does that mean?"

As they entered the chicken coop, both girls' jaws dropped when they saw the gold, silver and jeweled eggs.

"Now that's more like it!" Hattie said. "Get a basket!"

Hattie and Olive both grabbed a basket from the corner of the coop.

After a night of torture, it was nice for Hattie to know that she was getting what she deserved. She picked up a gold egg.

"_Don't take me!_" piped the egg. Hattie jumped. She hadn't expected the egg to talk, but it didn't phase her too much. She put the egg in her basket. She picked up a jeweled egg.

"_Put me back!_"

"Oh, be quiet!" stated Hattie, as she put it in the basket. She made her way around the coop, gathering all the gold, silver and jeweled eggs. As she walked past Olive, she got a look at what Olive had collected.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed as she stared at Olive's basket of eggs. Olive had been collecting all the plain white eggs.

"Uhh, I'm collecting all the eggs that say 'take me', Olive replied. "Have you ever seen eggs that talk?"

Hattie sighed and shook her head.

"Alright, Olive, I'm going to explain something very important to you, and I'm going to speak slowly and use big words so you understand." She took an egg out of Olive's basket and held it up to Olive's face.

"This is an egg. This is what we use to make omelets, scrambled eggs, and batter. This is nothing." She put the egg back in the basket and took a gold egg out of her own basket. "Now, this," she said, "This is worth a lot. Its shell is made of solid gold. I know you're an idiot, but think really hard: if you could put a dress or a carriage or a piece of jewelry into an egg, what would that egg look like? This?" She again held her egg up in Olive's face. "Or those?" She pointed to the eggs in Olive's basket. Olive thought for a minute and finally smiled.

"That makes sense," she said.

"Good," Hattie replied.

"But Aggie told us only to take the ones that say 'take me'."

Hattie scoffed. "Of course she'd say that. She's been a horrible she-devil to us ever since we arrived. Do you honestly think she'd suddenly end her mean streak now? No, she obviously thinks were so stupid, that we can't tell magic eggs from plain eggs. Got it?"

"Got it," Olive nodded.

"Good, now put those back and help me gather the rest of the magic eggs."

Olive put her plain eggs back and helped her sister gather up the rest of the magic eggs. By the time they had finished, the henhouse was filled with the sounds of dozens of little talking eggs, chirping loudly and demanding to be put back.

Heading outside, the girls found Aggie and Socrates, waiting for them. She had dressed quickly and was now waiting impatiently in her magic, horseless wagon.

"Get in, girls," she said, monotonously, "It's time you were on your way."

* * *

They hadn't gone far when Hattie began asking Aggie annoying questions.

"So what are you going to do about your idiot daughter?"

Aggie glared at Hattie. "None of your business."

"No seriously, now that she's coming back to the farm, now what? Are you going to make her a servant on your farm? Because let's face it, after this she'll never have an acting career."

Aggie's fists were starting to clench.

"**Hattie!**" shouted Socrates. "I'd say it's very critical to your future that you end this conversation and remain silent for the rest of the trip."

"But seriously, how can you expect her to-"

"**Enough!**" he shouted. As Hattie tried to open her mouth again, Socrates interrupted, "**Very critical to your future**!" She shut up for the rest of the ride.

* * *

When they finally reached the fork in the road, the girls got out, and Aggie pointed down the road headed west.

"Follow that road, and it will take you back to Frell. I trust you can find it on your own."

"Indeed," Hattie replied. "Now what about out present?"

"Just toss the eggs over your shoulders as you walk down the road and you'll get exactly what you deserve."

"Why, thank you," Hattie said, again feigning sweetness. "Now good day." As she headed off down the road she muttered under her breath, "Stupid old hag."

Olive turned back to Aggie, and Aggie whispered to her "Don't forget your pills." Olive nodded.

"Olive!" Hattie shouted, "What are you doing?"

"Coming!" Olive replied and hurried after her sister.

Aggie stared blankly as the girls headed off down the road. She glanced over at Socrates. "Thank you for the assist."

Socrates ruffled his feathers. "What beastly young women!"

"Indeed," Aggie replied. "But more so in Hattie's case. The girl has no respect for anyone but herself; for me, my home, my friends, not even her own sister. And she's so lazy that she can't lift a finger to help out. 'Oh, just let the servants do it!'"

"And what about Olive? Still think she can learn?"

"If she takes those pills, then definitely."

The two looked at each other, and Aggie smiled. "Don't worry, I put a spell of forgetfulness on them both, so they'll never find this place again."

"What about Olive?"

"If all goes according to plan, I'll find her."

"And did you notice that they had the wrong eggs?"

"Of course, and maybe if they were a little bit nicer, I would've told them why they had to put them back. But as my father says, 'what we sew, we must reap.' So I think it'll be best that they find out on their own. Now c'mon, let's get to Lamia. Celeste will be waiting for us."

Aggie tapped the wagon with her walking stick, and they headed off down the road leading east.


	16. The Long Road Home

Finally, the last chapter is up. Thanks for being patient. Enjoy.

But be sure to check back for the epilogue really soon!

* * *

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman?" Hattie ranted. After walking several miles down the road, she finally felt the need to let it all out.

"She was rude, she was selfish, and she expected us to do her housework! Again, this is what servants are for!"

"I know, right?" agreed Olive.

Hattie smiled and pulled the sack from the picnic basket. "Well, at least we got something out of all this." She opened the sack, expecting gold. Instead, she found the sack was full of gravel. Both girls gaped in shock.

"_That witch!_" Hattie screeched. She tossed the sack, along with the picnic basket, into the brush. "Did you say anything to her?"

"What? No!" Olive exclaimed in defense. Hattie didn't really believe her, but she didn't have any evidence that she had tipped off Aggie, so she let it go.

"Well," Hattie continued, once she'd calmed down, "We still have these." She looked down at the eggs in her other basket. She took out a gold egg, and Olive did the same.

"Let's see what we get," she said.

"Uh huh," Olive nodded in agreement.

The girls threw the eggs over their shoulders, and then turned to see what they'd gotten.

Olive's face lit up. "What cute little doggies!" she exclaimed

Hattie's face froze in horror. "Olive," she muttered, "Those aren't dogs, at least not the cute kind. They're rabid wolfs." The two wolves growled, and both girls screamed and ran. The wolves chased after them.

The girls started throwing the rest of their eggs at the wolves as the closest available weapons. As the eggs hit the ground, they hatched to reveal bears, snakes, hawks, wasps and all other kinds of wild animals.

"Oh, to heck with this!" Hattie shouted. She threw her basket at the oncoming horde. Olive just dropped hers. The rest of the eggs cracked open, and the two found themselves running from huge pack of wild beasts.

"Somehow this is your fault!" Hattie screamed to Olive, as they ran through the woods as fast as they could.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Hattie and Olive finally returned to Frell. They were exhausted and limping, having been mauled, bitten and stung by almost every wild beast you could imagine.

Their mother was on the front lawn talking to a real estate agent. His assistant was setting up a For Sale sign by the front gate. Dame Olga looked up and spotted the girls coming up the road.

"Good heavens!" she exclaimed, running to the girls. "What happened to you?"

"That old witch tricked us!" Hattie responded, "That's what happened!"

"Well, come inside. I'll make a cup of tea and you can tell me all about it."

"You, mother?" Hattie was a little surprised. "What about Mandy?"

Olga groaned. "She and Ella left this morning for Lamia. I'm afraid it's just us. Now come inside."

* * *

Inside, over a nice cup of tea, the girls told Dame Olga about the old witch woman who disrespected them, despite being nobility, made them do her housework, and sent them home with a basket full of demonic magic eggs.

**"What a vile woman!"** Olga shouted, pounding the table. "How dare she abuse my precious daughters!"

"So now what?" Hattie asked.

"Well, your stepfather just sent me the divorce papers. Everything's been finalized."

"So, we're poor now."

"Not yet. Remember my sister, Dame Marguerite?"

"Aunt Maggie?" stated Olive, "Of course I remember her."

Dame Olga and Hattie glared at her for a moment and then continued.

"Anyway, she told me about a rich Baron who was interested in me. We're going to Dunbar to meet him."

The girls were excited, but then Hattie had a thought.

"Money, mother. What are we going to do for money?"

"Well, the Baron knows we're having financial trouble, but just so we don't look like paupers, I've sold the house. The real estate agency purchased it for 10,000 gold pieces. This way we'll have just enough money to impress the Baron."

The girls smiled. "When do we leave?" Hattie asked.

"Tomorrow," Olga answered. "The cab service will be here at 9 o'clock in the morning. I suggest you both go and pack your belongings, and thank the good lord we don't have to live in squalor for the rest of our lives."

The girls rushed upstairs to pack. As Hattie loaded her dresses, jewelry and makeup into boxes, Olive ducked into her room and took the pill bottle out of her purse.

"Take one everyday, and they'll make you smarter," she remembered Aggie saying. Wow, she actually remembered something. She popped the cap and poured out one of the pills. It was small and brown and shaped like a tube. It looked like a piece of candy. Did it taste like one? She swallowed it. It… actually didn't taste like anything. Ah, geez. But did it make her smarter? 'Go on, say something smart!' she told herself.

Olive thought for a moment and finally said, _"In any right triangle, the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares whose sides are the two legs."_

'Whoa, that sounded smart! But what did that mean? Did she even remember what she was talking about.'

As she thought about it, there was a knock on her door.

"Olive, are you packing?" Dame Olga called through the door.

Olive closed the bottle and stuffed it back in her purse. "Yes, mother. I'm getting ready."

* * *

Please read and review.


	17. Epilogue:A

"Olive," called Mrs. Birchwood, "have you finished sorting the periodicals?"

"Almost, ma'am," Olive replied.

* * *

Looking at Olive now, you'd never recognize her. In the last few months, she'd been learning exponentially. (Wow, _exponentially_, there's a word Olive never thought she'd use.) Ever since she'd started taking Aggie's smart pills, Olive had felt more focused than ever, and she a sudden urge to read. She read everything she could get her hands on, even if she didn't completely understand it. The more she read, the more she learned. The more she learned, the more she wanted to do something about it. She had recently enrolled in junior college, much to the surprise of her mother and sister. But since right now she didn't have the money to pay for tuition, she'd gotten a job at, of all places, the Aristotle Archives, the largest library and media center in the kingdom. In addition to the general public, the archives were popular with scientists, nobles, scholars, reporters, anyone coming to do serious research. Given her past, Olive felt so honored to be working there. I had been the perfect place for her to expand her mind. Also, she'd been holding out for a scholarship to pay for school.

But her intellect wasn't the only thing that had changed about Olive. About a month after she'd started learning, Olive had looked in her bedroom mirror one morning, and saw that her dopey-looking face had faded away. In its place, she saw a lovely, young woman staring back at her. Wow, she was cute. She had really noticed this when she charmed Hector, a young and handsome construction worker from the city. Hector had been working in the area, when he first saw Olive on her way to work. He could tell she was a noble, and was almost immediately smitten. It had taken him a couple of weeks to work up the courage to talk to her, the whole time thinking, 'Make your move now, or she'll get away.' Olive was disbelieving when he'd told her this. No guy had ever been shy around her. Normally, they just didn't want to talk to her. This must mean something. Thank you, smart pills!

But not all had been well. For the most part, Olive and Hector had a good relationship. But a few nights ago, Olive had taken Hector home for dinner to meet her family. Mother and Hattie had been particularly rude to Hector, obviously because of his working class background, but Olive was flat out embarrassed that they told him about how stupid she used to be. Not cool! Hector had left early. She didn't blame him. But she hoped he wasn't mad at her.

* * *

Olive tried not to think about it as she stacked the periodicals on the shelf. Focusing on work helped to ease the stress. She finished up, and she was done for the day. She made her way to the front desk, where Mrs. Birchwood and her assistant, Marion, were busy sorting, stacking and filing. Marion handed the sign out sheet.

"Thank you for not letting your personal life interfere with your job," said Mrs. Birchwood.

"How could your family embarrass you in front of your boyfriend?" asked Marion, "And how could they say you're stupid? You're like one of the smartest girls I know."

"Look," said Olive, as she signed out, "I don't want to talk about it. I would like those books I reserved."

Marion quickly produced Olive's books, one on Greek mythology, one on Italian cooking, one on French fashion, and her favorite gossip magazine. She smiled.

As Olive headed for the doors, Mrs. Birchwood stopped her. "Olive, hand it over." She held out her hand.

Nervously, Olive pulled a model of one of Da Vinci's flying machines out of her purse, and handed it to Mrs. Birchwood. She turned to leave as Mrs. Birchwood added, "And the other one." Olive rolled her eyes and pulled a bust of Zeus out from under her skirt. Mrs. Birchwood sighed as Olive handed it to her.

"Olive!" she sighed.

"I know," she replied. "I've been trying hard not to!"

Mrs. Birchwood shook her head. "I understand. I like you, Olive. But this has to stop."

"I swear, it's a psychological thing. I can't help myself."

Mrs. Birchwood nodded, understandingly. "If that's the case, there's something I want you to do."

She wrote down a name and address on a sheet of parchment, then she gave it to Olive.

"This is the address for a psychiatrist friend of mine. If this is a psychological problem, I want you to talk to him and get this thing sorted out. And no, this isn't optional, if you don't talk to this guy, you could be dismissed. Is that clear?"

Olive sighed. "Crystal clear, ma'am." She took the parchment and headed for the door.

* * *

Outside, Olive found, to her surprise, Hector waiting for her. He held up a sarsaparilla. She smiled. "You read my mind." Olive walked up and hugged her boyfriend. But she could tell he had something on his mind.

"You're not still mad, are you?"

Hector sighed. "I'm not mad. I'm just upset and confused." Olive sipped her sarsaparilla as Hector walked her home.

"Yeah, I didn't appreciate your family calling me a dirty pauper," Hector said, "but was even more appalled that they called you 'stupid'. You're one of the smartest people I know. How could they call you stupid?"

Olive sighed. "It's not something I like to talk about. It wasn't even that long ago. For my whole life, I was just dumb."

Hector looked surprised, but seemed willing to listen.

"For as long as I can remember, I was just dumb, I said dumb things, I made dumb mistakes, I…I just did a lot of dumb things. It didn't help that my mother and my sister never did anything to make me try to work hard or learn." At this point, Olive looked like she was ready to cry. Hector put an arm around her.

"You shouldn't be living with a family like that," he said, comfortingly. "You should stay with someone who respects you, who sees the best in you, who's in love with you."

"You're probably right," she agreed, "but I don't know anyone who…" she paused. "Wait, are you asking what I think you're asking?"

Both stopped and Hector turned to face her. "Olive of Lamia, it would honor me if you moved in with me. I would appreciate the company, separate bedrooms, of course, you deserve to be someplace where people appreciate you, not keep putting you down. So, what do you say?"

Olive couldn't keep it hidden, she was just so excited. "Oh my gosh! Yes! Yes! Of course." She threw her arms around Hector and hugged him hard. Hector smiled.

"But it may have to wait a little bit," Olive said, breaking the hug. "Don't get me wrong. I really want to, but I need some time to get some of my affairs in order. The last few months, I feel like I've started taking care of Mother and Hattie, since they're both too lazy to take care of themselves. But Mother may be moving in with her new boyfriend, so they may not need me much longer. But yes, I will gladly move in with you." She kissed him. Then they continued on.

"If you don't mind me asking, what changed?" Olive didn't understand. "What made you suddenly work harder to be smart?"

"Well, a few months ago, my sister and I met a witch who gave me these pills that made me want to use my brain. Unfortunately, I'm almost out of pills."

"Couldn't you ask the witch for more pills?"

"I could, but I have no idea where to find her. I actually tried looking for her a while back, I fairly certain she lives in the woods near Frell, but I've never been able to find her again." Olive sighed. "I'm scared. I don't want to go back to the way I was. I like being smart."

"Well, I don't think you can lose what you've learned. Sure, you can forget thinks you may have learned, but now you know that you can be smart and you can learn. And besides, if you ever need a little encouragement, you'll always have me." Olive smiled.

When they reached Olive's apartment, Hector walked her to the door. "I guess I should just let you go here."

Olive nodded. "I'd hate for my mother to insult my boyfriend again. Hector smiled and kissed Olive one last time. As she kissed him back, Olive noticed a package sticking out the mailbox, addressed to her.

"What is that?" she asked, breaking the kiss. She pulled the package out the mailbox and read the attached note.

_Dear Olive,_

_Looks like those smart pills are working. I'm glad to see that at least you have made something of yourself. Here's a refill. I'll be back to check in on you again._

_Mz. Mac_

Olive suddenly looked around and thought she saw a familiar gypsy hat disappear down an alley across the street.

"What's going on?" Hector asked.

"I'm…not sure," was all Olive could answer.

After a short pause, Hector spoke up.

"Well, I guess I'll head out, but I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed Olive on the check "Love ya," and headed off.

Olive smiled as she watched her boyfriend headed off down the street. "I love you, too, Hector." She waited until he was out of sight, and then headed inside.

* * *

When Olive got up to Aunt Maggie's apartment, the first person she saw was Hattie, sitting in an easy chair and chewing on her locket.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked.

"Same place I go everyday," Olive replied, "At work."

Olive sat down on the couch and pulled out one of her books. Hattie still couldn't believe Olive could read.

"So, where's your smelly construction worker?"

Olive looked up and glared.

"After the other night, I didn't want to bring him around here. You and mother were terrible to him."

"Well, he's poor, how else are we supposed to treat him?"

Olive shook her head. "And you used to call me stupid," she muttered to herself.

Olive stuck her head into her mythology book.

"Since when do you read so much?" Hattie asked.

"You'd be surprised. There's so much good stuff in a book. And sometimes, it's actually fun."

Hattie tried to retort, but nothing came to mind.

"Yep," Olive muttered. "No comment."

After a long pause, Olive finally asked, "So tonight, we're meeting the Baron?"

"That's right," answered Hattie, "and he has a son my age. I could have a boyfriend, too. Oh, there's nobody for you. Sorry. But then again, you've got your poor construction worker."

Olive smiled. "Yeah, but he's handsome. And he just asked me to move in with him."

Hattie looked surprised. "You're leaving us?"

"Not right away. But you'll be fine. You're about to have servants and butlers and cooks."

Hattie nodded. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

At around seven o'clock, Olive had bathed, fixed her makeup, put on a clean dress and was waiting at the door to meet the Baron. Hattie had just put on a new dress, so in her own way, she was thinking about her appearance. Mother was clearly nervous. The scars from her recent facelift were still visible. She was shaking like the middle of winter and she was sweating thru the underarms of her dress. She got some tissues for Mother to soak up the sweat.

Just then, the bell rang.

"Oh my goodness," Mother exclaimed. "He's here! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"

Olive stepped forward and lightly slapped her mother. "Snap out of it!" she shouted.

Mother took a deep breath and calmed down. "You're right, Olive. Panic does no one any good. I'll just get the door."

Mother opened the door and in walked Baron Wilhelm von Stroker. He was dressed almost entirely in black, with a cape that wrapped around his body. Olive wondered if he'd trip over it. He had greasy, black hair and a sleazy moustache. And to top it all off, he had a rapier attached to his belt. He was accompanied by a younger man, who looked almost exactly like him, except that he didn't have a sword or a moustache. He wasn't the most attractive man ever, but he wasn't hideous either. And he had money, Mother had checked this time. So in her mother's book, the guy was a catch.

"Good evening!" the Baron announced, as he took a bow and introduced himself. He had a thick accent. "It's lovely to see you again Dame Olga."

"And you as well," replied Mother. "And these are my daughters, Hattie and my special, Olive."

Olive rolled her eyes. She'd come such a long way, Mother had even noticed, and she still called her "special."

The Baron took the girls' hands and kissed them each. "Charmed."

The Baron turned to the young man with him. "And this is my son, Gustov von Stroker." Gustov stepped forward and bowed. The girls curtseyed.

"Now, which one of you is Hattie?" he asked. His accent was not as strong as his father's.

Excited, Hattie stepped forward. "That would be me," she said, sounding all giggly.

Olive thought he was a bit of a show-off, but Hattie seemed to like him so she ruled him alright.

"So, who's hungry. I hope you're all in the mood for Chinese, because I made reservations at the Mandarin's Palace." Everyone seemed pretty excited.

"Ms. Olive," said the Baron, "I understand that you also have a gentleman caller. Will he be joining us tonight?"

"No, he won't," she said, "he's busy tonight."

"He's poor," stated Hattie.

"He's working class!" retorted Olive.

The Baron stared for a moment and then replied, "Interesting."

"Well, shall we go? I have a carriage waiting downstairs." Mother took the Baron's arm, Hattie took Gustov's arm and they headed downstairs. Olive held back. In the last few months, she'd come such a long way. And the smarter she'd gotten, the more her mother and Hattie looked like idiots. They were selfish, lazy, gold-digging, and rude. Olive wasn't regretting her decision to move in with Hector. And she hated that her mother still called her special. And yet, she still loved them. How could she not? They were her family. Well, maybe it wasn't love so much as sympathy. And possibly the belief that they would never grow up.

Eh, she'd think about it more later. She stuffed one of her books into her purse and headed off to join the others.


End file.
